crimes against humanity

Egypt’s Sisi reaffirms Cairo’s rejection of Palestinian displacement during talks with Dutch premier

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in El Alamein, Egypt on August 05, 2024 [Murat Gök/Anadolu Agency]

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Friday reiterated his country’s strong opposition to any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land during his talks with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Anadolu reports.

The two leaders spoke by phone about bilateral relations and the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, according to the Egyptian presidency.

Sisi emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between Egypt and the Netherlands.

Sisi also highlighted Egypt’s ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the urgent and sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, according to the presidency’s statement. He stressed the need for progress in negotiations to release prisoners on both sides.

Israel currently claims that 50 of its hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 who are still alive. Meanwhile, over 10,800 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails under conditions widely condemned by rights groups as involving torture, starvation, and medical neglect, practices that have led to numerous deaths.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the US recently collapsed in Doha after Israel hardened its position on issues including full military withdrawal from Gaza, ending the war, prisoner exchange terms, and aid distribution mechanisms.

While Hamas has signaled readiness to release all Israeli hostages in a single exchange, conditional on a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to impose new demands.

READ: Rubio, Egyptian foreign minister discuss Gaza, Sudan

In his call with Schoof, Sisi also reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to restarting the political process based on a two-state solution.

He further stressed the urgency of launching Gaza’s reconstruction as soon as a ceasefire is achieved.

“Egypt remains firmly opposed to any plans to forcibly displace Palestinians,” the presidency said, reaffirming Cairo’s longstanding position.

In March, Egypt proposed a five-year, $53 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza, adopted at an emergency Arab League summit.

The plan explicitly ruled out any displacement of Palestinians. However, both Israel and the US have rejected the initiative and instead backed an alternative plan promoted by US President Donald Trump that would relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan.

Both nations have rejected such proposals, alongside other Arab states and international organizations.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Al-Azhar deletes Gaza solidarity statement after warning from Egypt’s foreign minister

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UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingEgypt’s Sisi reaffirms Cairo’s rejection of Palestinian displacement during talks with Dutch premier

Over 18,500 children killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023: Health Ministry

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Bodies of Palestinians are brought to the al Shifa Hospital after Israeli airstrike claimed Palestinian lives in Gaza Strip on July 23, 2025. [Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli army has killed 18,592 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, according to official data from Gaza’s Health Ministry on Thursday, Anadolu reports.

The ministry’s records showed that many of the victims were killed in their earliest days of life. Some died just hours after birth, struck by Israeli airstrikes or bombs.

Figures released by the ministry showed that the victims included nine babies killed on the day of their birth, five killed on the first day, five on the second day, and eight on their third day.

The ministry explained that the dead children also included 88 aged one month, 90 aged two months, and 78 aged three months.

READ: 2 more Gazans die of starvation as Israel maintains choking blockade

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,200 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Israeli army kills 51 starving Palestinians in Gaza in 3 hours, says government office

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Continue ReadingOver 18,500 children killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023: Health Ministry

Over 100 lawyers ask ICC to investigate Macron and French ministers for Gaza genocide complicity

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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/over-100-french-lawyers-call-icc-investigate-france-complicity-genocide-gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou (R) and Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu (L) at a ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, in Paris on 8 May 2025 (Thomas Samson/AFP)

Legal complaint accuses President Emmanuel Macron, three key ministers and scores of MPs of facilitating Israeli crimes against Palestinians

French lawyers have submitted a request to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an investigation into the role of French officials “in the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide” by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In a 56-page communication made public by the French investigative media outlet Blast on Monday, the 114 lawyers named President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu and 19 lawmakers of the National Assembly’s European Affairs Committee.

A communication to the ICC is the equivalent of a criminal complaint to the court on an alleged crime falling under its jurisdiction. 

It is addressed to the Office of the ICC Prosecutor in accordance with Article 15 of the Rome Statute, which states that the prosecutor may open proprio motu investigations (i.e. on their own initiative) based on information relating to crimes within the court’s jurisdiction.

The lawyers, representing an NGO called Pour la Justice au Proche-Orient (“for justice in the Middle East”) note that: “Far from taking concrete measures to prevent the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians, the members of the French executive cited in this communication have continued to support the criminal actions of the government of Israel by providing military, political, economic, diplomatic and propaganda support to that state, including by providing the means to commit the crimes in question.”

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Continue ReadingOver 100 lawyers ask ICC to investigate Macron and French ministers for Gaza genocide complicity

Former EU foreign policy chief slams bloc’s failure to act on Israel’s human rights violations

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The former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, takes part in a debate at Casa Arabe on June 19, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. [Photo By Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images]

The European Council missed its chance this week to do something to stop Israel’s “war crimes” and genocide in Gaza, according to a former EU foreign policy chief.

“@EUCouncil failed yesterday to take a decision on Israel’s violation of the Association Agreement’s Human Rights clause. But this is in itself a decision: not to punish Israel’s continued war crimes and allow the genocide in Gaza to continue unabated,” Borrell wrote on X Wednesday.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which governs political and economic ties between the two parties, includes a binding clause requiring respect for human rights and democratic principles. Failure to comply with this clause can lead to sanctions or suspension of the agreement.

EU foreign ministers met on Monday and Tuesday to discuss growing concerns over Israel’s attacks in Gaza, amid mounting civilian casualties and international calls for accountability. However, member states were unable to reach a consensus, resulting in no formal decision to suspend the agreement or impose sanctions.

READ: EU official weaponising anti-Semitism to block sanctions on Israel over Gaza genocide

Borrell, who concluded his term as the EU’s top diplomat last year, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s attacks and has previously called for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which gives Tel Aviv preferential trade terms.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing over 58,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: 350 Palestinians reported missing under rubble in Gaza over two weeks

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Continue ReadingFormer EU foreign policy chief slams bloc’s failure to act on Israel’s human rights violations

UNRWA warns Israel’s Gaza displacement plan would create ‘massive concentration camps’

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Palestinian families begin fleeing again from shelters near the Al-Mawasi area as the Israeli army expands its ground offensive and tanks reach southwestern Khan Yunis, Gaza, marking their first displacement in nearly a year and a half, on July 10, 2025. [Hani Alshaer - Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian families begin fleeing again from shelters near the Al-Mawasi area as the Israeli army expands its ground offensive and tanks reach southwestern Khan Yunis, Gaza, marking their first displacement in nearly a year and a half, on July 10, 2025. [Hani Alshaer – Anadolu Agency]

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) condemned on Friday Israel’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians in Gaza towards the southern city of Rafah, warning that the move would create “massive concentration camps” and worsen the humanitarian crisis, Anadolu reports.

Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s director of communications, told Al Jazeera English that the agency “categorically refuses any forced displacement of any population.”

“If it happens, it will push further tens of thousands of people who have already been displaced many, many times during this current war but also over the generations, further south and from there into the unknown,” Touma said.

“What needs to happen right now is to focus on reaching a ceasefire and allowing UNRWA to bring in much-needed supplies,” she said.

Touma said UNRWA has “over 6,000 trucks in Egypt and Jordan full of medicines that are soon expiring, food that is also going off, we have hygiene supplies.”

READ: UN says first fuel delivery to Gaza in 130 days ‘isn’t sufficient’ for humanitarian operations

“All we are saying is lift the siege, get a ceasefire, allow UNRWA and other UN organizations to do our work,” she added.

Earlier, the UN raised alarm over continued mass displacement in the Gaza Strip and warned that more than 700,000 people have been uprooted since the end of the ceasefire in March.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he instructed the army to prepare a plan to relocate all Palestinians to what he called a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: ‘They think they are untouchable’: Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20 million in damages

Continue ReadingUNRWA warns Israel’s Gaza displacement plan would create ‘massive concentration camps’