Gaza: Europe and the Arabs

Israeli gunboats opened heavy fire on the Gaza coast early Saturday night, coinciding with airstrikes that targeted various parts of the Gaza Strip since dawn on Saturday. The attacks resulted in the deaths of dozens, including women and children, according to the Civil Defense. This comes as the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt for pedestrians is anticipated.

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that rescue teams had finished recovering victims from under the rubble of the Sheikh Radwan police station in Gaza City, bringing the death toll to 32, most of whom were children and women.

The attacks drew condemnation from Egypt and Qatar, which, along with the United States, are mediating efforts to solidify the ceasefire. According to the European news network Euronews in Brussels, the Israeli army arrested seven Palestinians, including two children, during raids in the West Bank governorates of Hebron, Ramallah, al-Bireh, and Qalqilya, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. WAFA reported the arrest of two young men from the village of Kharsa, two 15-year-old children from the village of Aboud, and three young men from the town of Azzun.

Raids were also reported in areas of the northern West Bank, including Beita south of Nablus, and Qabatiya and Ya'bad in the Jenin governorate, but no arrests were made. WAFA also reported that settlers vandalized and set fire to trees in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, coinciding with a military deployment around the town. No arrests were reported in Turmus Ayya. This came after Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said that reports indicated 30 people were killed on Saturday in Gaza, bringing the total number of deaths since the ceasefire came into effect to nearly 500, including more than 100 children, according to UNICEF.

In a post on the X platform, Lazzarini said: “It’s a ceasefire in name only. A ceasefire means the guns fall silent and make way for efforts to end the war. Enough is enough. The people of Gaza deserve a real, long-awaited ceasefire.”

Despite ongoing obstacles, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to intensify efforts to save lives and meet needs in the Gaza Strip.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that cash assistance partners are continuing to expand their support to help families improve their food consumption and diversify their diets.