A UN vehicle escorts ambulances and a bus carrying Palestinian patients in Khan Younis as they travel to the Rafah crossing to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment abroad, February 3, 2026
HE treatment of Palestinians attempting to use the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt amounts to “collective punishment,” Hamas said today.
Palestinians are suffering “mistreatment, abuse and deliberate extortion” at the crossing, which was opened on Monday, the resistance group said, adding that such treatment “constitutes fascist behaviour and organised terrorism” and amounts to “collective punishment.”
Hamas said: “Painful field testimonies have revealed degrading practices, including the abduction of women from among the travellers, blindfolding them, subjecting them to lengthy interrogations with irrelevant questions, threatening some with their children and attempting to extort one of them into collaborating.
“This confirms that what is happening is not ‘crossing procedures’ but rather systematic violation aimed at instilling fear and deterring people from returning to their homes,” the group added.
The long-awaited reopening of the territory’s southern border crossing with Egypt was supposed to alleviate the punishing military siege of Gaza.
But Israeli authorities have continued to enforce strict security restrictions and a complex bureaucratic process that allows only a small number of people to travel in either direction.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that only five patients from Gaza had passed through the Rafah crossing on Monday.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Khadija Abu Rabi mourns over the body of her son, Iyad, 3, who was killed by an Israeli strike that hit tents sheltering displaced people along the coast of Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, February 2, 2026
Campaigners and MPs concerned by moves to ‘unblock’ arms licences to Israel
BRITAIN’S politicians have written to the Trade Secretary over serious concerns about a reported move towards “unblocking” arms licences to Israel, campaigners said yesterday.
In the letter, led by Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden, 58 parliamentarians told Peter Kyle that they were “extremely concerned” by the government’s apparent move towards lifting the arms licences to Israel that it suspended in September 2024, and the reported transfer of new F-35 fighter jets from a British air base.
Last month, in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle, Mr Kyle said he would revisit Britain-Israel trade talks and the decision to pause arms export licences, arguing that the two issues were “intrinsically linked.”
But campaigners said that position was at odds with the government’s legal obligation to issue or suspend arms export licences in line with Britain’s domestic Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and its international obligations, including under the Genocide Convention.
Alongside a continued supply of spare parts for F-35 jets used in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, research indicates that Britain has played a key role in facilitating the transfer of the aircraft to Israel.
On January 21, it was reported that three new F-35s were transferred from the British air base RAF Mildenhall to Israel.
This was despite the government’s earlier acknowledgement that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law and suspended 29 of 350 arms licences to the country.
The partial ban included what has been described as an “F-35 carve-out,” allowing exemptions of components supplied through the global F-35 programme from the suspension.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of PeaceKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Israeli forces demolish a three-story Palestinian-owned house citing the lack of the building permit, in the town of Tarqumiya, northwest of Hebron, West Bank on February 1, 2026. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]
Hundreds of former EU and member state ministers, ambassadors and senior officials have called on the European Union to take “robust and sustained action” to increase pressure on Israel and end “unremitting violations of international law” in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.
In a joint statement released Monday and co-signed by 404 former officials, the group urged the EU and its members to move beyond condemnatory statements and adopt concrete measures, including suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and halting all military support to Israel.
“A robust approach based on the EU’s founding values and principles will be essential to reestablish the Union’s reputation as a force for peace and good in our time,” the statement said.
The signatories warned that the humanitarian and security situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate despite the launch of an international peace initiative, pointing to ongoing Israeli military operations, restrictions on humanitarian aid, and the targeting of civilians and aid workers.
According to the statement, around 500 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, have been killed in Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire reached last October, bringing the total death toll since the start of Israel’s military campaign to over 71,000, the vast majority civilians.
The former officials also condemned Israel’s continued restrictions on humanitarian access, calling for the full and permanent opening of the Rafah border crossing and an end to what they described as the misuse of “dual-use” policies to block aid deliveries.
They strongly criticized Israel’s decision to deregister dozens of international NGOs operating in Gaza, warning that such measures undermine lifesaving assistance and violate UN humanitarian principles.
The statement also denounced Israel’s actions against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), including the destruction of its West Bank field office in East Jerusalem, calling the campaign against the agency “a flagrant contempt” of recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinions.
In the occupied West Bank, the signatories highlighted a sharp increase in Israeli settlement activity, noting that plans for more than 47,000 housing units were advanced in 2025—an 81% rise compared to the previous year—despite international rulings declaring settlements illegal.
Calling for accountability, the group urged the EU to desist from joining the recently announced “Board of Peace,” arguing that its composition and governance risk undermining the role of the UN and international law.
“It is high time for the EU and its member states to take robust and sustained action to reverse the disastrous situation currently afflicting the Palestinian people, notably in Gaza but also in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, a retired EU official and former ambassador to the occupied Palestinian territory, told Anadolu.
“To increase pressure on Israel, alliances with like-minded partners in the OECD and the Global South, and notably in the Middle East, have to be built and strengthened,” he said, stressing the need to protect Palestinians’ “inalienable right to political self-determination and a life in peace, security and dignity.”
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) doctor is seen at Nasser Hospital as patients face difficulties accessing care due to inadequate health services in Khan Yunis, Gaza on January 15, 2026. [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]
The Spanish government on Monday condemned the Israeli decision to ban the activities of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.
“The Spanish Government condemns the decision by the Israeli authorities to impose a halt on the activities of Medecins Sans Frontieres, which are essential to alleviating the dramatic health situation of the Gazan population in the Gaza Strip,” the Foreign Ministry announced in a written statement.
The statement reiterated that international humanitarian NGOs, like MSF, provide “irreplaceable assistance” in life-saving services across Gaza and the West Bank.
“The work of MSF in Gaza, as well as that of all humanitarian organizations in the field of health, is essential in addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip, providing vital assistance to the Palestinian population in Gaza who are subjected to unbearable violence,” it added.
The Spanish government also urged Tel Aviv to reverse the decision, saying it “seriously undermines the most basic moral principles,” and reminded Israel of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law and to reduce the suffering of all human beings.
Israel on Sunday banned the activities of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip and ordered the organization to leave the enclave by Feb. 28.
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which oversees dealings with humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, said the decision was taken after the charity refused to submit its staff lists to Tel Aviv.
MSF is one of the largest humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, and halting its activities is expected to cause severe damage to the already scarce medical services available in the enclave.
Israel’s two-year war on Gaza has killed nearly 71,800 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,400. The assault has destroyed roughly 90% of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza, with UN estimates placing reconstruction costs at about $70 billion.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
A UN vehicle escorts ambulances and a bus carrying Palestinian patients in Khan Younis as they travel to the Rafah crossing to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment abroad, February 3, 2026
