Josep Borrell, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, criticizes current Minister Kaja Kallas for the agreement reached with Israel to increase aid to the Gaza Strip, calling it “senseless.” French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognize the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. From the United Kingdom, the Labour Party claims it has the majority to recognize the State of Palestine.
Thomas Barrack, Trump’s special envoy for Syria and Lebanon: “The United States supports the Lebanese government, but only it can resolve the issue called Hezbollah, which is an internal Lebanese issue. The United States recognizes the Lebanese army as the only military force in the country.” “The US delegation to the Gaza ceasefire talks is returning from Qatar to the United States following Hamas’s response to the latest ceasefire proposal,” US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said.
According to Witkoff, Hamas’s response “clearly demonstrates a lack of will to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.” Washington now intends to explore “alternative options for the repatriation of the hostages and will seek to create a more stable environment for the citizens of Gaza.” Israel has also recalled its negotiating team for consultations, CNN reports.
Israel Radar website: US Ambassador Mike Huckabee: “If France wants a Palestinian state, let it carve out part of its territory in France and cede it to France. The United States will oppose France’s statement and I hope they will retract it within the next week.”
Israel has condemned France for its decision to recognize Palestine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that President Emmanuel Macron is “rewarding terror” and that these intentions pose an existential threat to the country. Defense Minister Israel Katz has promised that Israel “will not allow the creation of a Palestinian entity that would undermine its security.”
Hamas is demanding guarantees for a permanent ceasefire, which Israel rejects, and Netanyahu himself rejects the condition. Kan: “Hamas is demanding, for the first time, that the agreement include the release of the ‘elite forces’ who participated in the October 7 attack.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): “We condemn the withdrawal of Trump administration negotiators from ceasefire discussions, as they seek to provide Benjamin Netanyahu with political cover to continue starving, bombing, and ethnically cleansing the people of Gaza.”
Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi: “Since the beginning of the negotiation process, we have expressed national responsibility and great flexibility, eager to reach a comprehensive agreement that will put an end to the aggression and the suffering of our people in Gaza. Recent negative statements are inconsistent with the climate of mediation and the mediators’ welcoming stance. In these critical circumstances, irresponsible media campaigns and coordinated political maneuvers could lead to disastrous consequences and a high price.”
Moscow considers the Israeli parliament’s adoption on July 23 of a declaration on the extension of sovereignty to the West Bank a negative step, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. The parliamentarians’ actions contradict Israel’s obligations, as well as resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. It is necessary to initiate Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, the goal of which should be the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Moscow assumes the Israeli government will not implement the declaration, which is not a legislative act but a recommendation. Otherwise, a new escalation will occur with unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East.
Demands continue from around the world, led by the United Nations, to open up to humanitarian aid. In Tel Aviv, settlers are demonstrating, demanding an end to the war and the release of prisoners. Security forces have stopped demonstrations in Haifa, arresting 15 activists and suppressing a demonstration in support of Gaza. Israeli police have arrested the Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israeli prisoners in Gaza are also at risk of starvation.
The Director-General of the WHO: “There is a deadly increase in malnutrition in the Gaza Strip. A large number of children under five are malnourished, and 20% of pregnant and breastfeeding women have been diagnosed with severe malnutrition in the Gaza Strip. Parents see their children crying from hunger every day in the Gaza Strip.
A non-nuclear submarine of the Dolphin Batch-II type, the Drakon, under construction for the Israeli Navy, was spotted in the Kiel area. Minister Katz once again threatened Hamas: “If our hostages are not released soon, we will open the gates of hell.”
A long night for the Hanthala ship; an official on the vessel explained: “Communication was interrupted due to a malfunction in the satellite internet connection. All crew members on the ship are safe. We thank all those who supported us.”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 2:00 PM on July 25. The Houthis confirmed the seizure of a livestock vessel, called “Merinos Livestock,” in the Red Sea. Israel attacked Sana’a. Explosions in al-Hodeidah, in Ansarullah-controlled Yemen. Causes unknown.
On July 24, an Israeli drone dropped incendiary bombs on the outskirts of Beit Lif, southern Lebanon, starting fires that spread near homes. Israeli forces fired flares at Khiam, southern Lebanon. A series of Israeli airstrikes targeted Jabal al-Rayhan, Berghoz, and the valley between Ansar and Zrarieh, southern Lebanon. Other attacks Israelis were registered in the Mahmoudiya – Al-Zaghrin area on the outskirts of Sujud and between Ansar and Al-Zarariyya in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, eight IDF soldiers were confirmed injured, two moderately and six slightly, in an “operational incident” in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli Ministry of Defense stated. Israeli raids hit Batn Al-Sameen, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
On the evening of the 24th, eight Israeli soldiers were also hit in the West Bank. A reconnaissance plane was in the skies over the eastern part of the city of Nablus. Local sources reported that Palestinian Authority security forces repressed a mass demonstration in support of Gaza in central Nablus.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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