Humanitarian Crises

Many children, their eyes wide with shock, cling to the arms of rescuers after explosions tear through their neighbourhoods.

Some images are too horrific to show, with small bodies crushed beneath rubble, homes erased in an instant, and the innocence of youth replaced by trauma.

These faces, once vibrant and full of life, grow thinner and paler, fading under the weight of hunger and loss.

One such image, taken on May 21, 2024, by Ashraf Amra, shows a child with a broken arm wrapped in plaster, lying on a hospital floor stained with blood. He stares fixedly up at the camera, the blood on the floor seeping closer to his uninjured shoulder.

He was one of the injured Palestinians brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli attacks on the Bureij refugee camp in Deir el-Balah.

Also among them are Gaza’s women – mothers, teachers, doctors, journalists, and caregivers, carrying heavy loads, both physical and emotional. Some are guided by faith, in mosques or churches.

The older generation bears the eyes of displacement, having lived through such events before.

One of the most powerful images shows Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embracing the body of her 5-year-old niece Sally, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

Photographer Mohammad Salem was at the hospital morgue that day.

“It was a powerful and sad moment, and I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“People were confused, running … anxious to know the fate of their loved ones, and this woman caught my eye as she was holding the body of the little girl and refused to let go.”

The image went on to win the 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award, recognised for capturing the profound grief and chaos experienced by those living through the attacks in Gaza.

Many of the men pictured are carrying shrouded bodies, the weight of loss heavy.

Rescue workers and young men, often civilians turned first responders, move through the rubble with grim determination.

Each shrouded body tells a story of tragedy and sudden loss, and each man’s face reflects exhaustion, grief, and the urgent need to help in the midst of chaos.

One image taken by Omar Al-Qattaa shows a man carrying the shrouded body of a child killed in overnight Israeli bombardment at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on October 2, 2024.

Explore an interactive mosaic of nearly 2,000 photos spanning two years in Gaza. Hover over or click on each icon to view the full image.

As mediators and officials from Israel and Hamas meet in Egypt to discuss end of war, deadly Israeli attacks continue across Gaza.

The International Criminal Court has found Sudanese militia chief Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman guilty of war crimes committed during Sudan’s Darfur conflict more than two decades ago. He was accused of playing a crucial role in the atrocities that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Hundreds of thousands across Europe and the Middle East marched against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of people have poured onto the streets across Europe, demanding an end to Israel’s two-year war on Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left the enclave on the brink of famine.

The largest protest took place in the Netherlands, where around 250,000 people filled Amsterdam’s Museum Square on Sunday before marching through the city centre. Draped in Palestinian flags and dressed in red, demonstrators demanded that their government take a harder line against Israel and stop arms exports to the occupying power.

“The bloodshed must stop – and that we unfortunately have to stand here because we have such an incredibly weak government that doesn’t dare to draw a red line. That’s why we are here, in the hope that it helps,” said protester Marieke van Zijl, the Associated Press reported.

The protest came less than a month before national elections, adding pressure on Dutch leaders who have long backed Israel. Foreign Minister David van Weel said on Friday that it was “unlikely” the government would approve the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel amid mounting public anger.

Amnesty International, one of the protest organisers, urged European governments to act decisively. “All economic and diplomatic means must be used to increase pressure on Israel,” said spokesperson Marjon Rozema.

‘Gaza is the biggest graveyard of children’

While the Netherlands saw the biggest turnout in Western Europe, Turkiye hosted one of the most striking shows of solidarity.

In Istanbul, vast crowds marched from the Hagia Sophia mosque to the banks of the Golden Horn, where boats decorated with Turkish and Palestinian flags awaited them.

Demonstrators, many fresh from midday prayers at the mosque, called for Muslim unity in confronting Israel’s assault.

In Ankara, protesters waved flags and held banners denouncing Israel’s actions. “This oppression, which began in 1948, has been continuing for two years, turning into genocide,” said Recep Karabal of the Palestine Support Platform in the northern city of Kirikkale.

Support for Palestine runs deep in Turkiye, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emerged as one of Israel’s fiercest critics, accusing Tel Aviv of committing war crimes in Gaza.

On Saturday, Turkish journalist and Gaza Sumud Flotilla participant Ersin Celik told local media outlets he witnessed Israeli forces “torture Greta Thunberg”, describing how the Swedish activist was “dragged on the ground” and “forced to kiss the Israeli flag”.

Similar rallies were held across the region. In Sofia, Bulgarians carried placards reading “Gaza: Starvation is a Weapon of War” and “Gaza is the Biggest Graveyard of Children”. Protester Valya Chalamova said, “Our society – and the world – needs to hear that we stand with the Palestinian people.”

In Morocco’s capital Rabat, crowds burned an Israeli flag and called on their government to reverse its 2020 decision to normalise ties with Israel. Protesters also demanded the release of Moroccan human rights defender Aziz Ghali, detained by Israel after joining the flotilla aiming to break the blockade on Gaza.

Across Spain, smaller rallies followed massive demonstrations in Madrid, Rome, and Barcelona a day earlier, with marchers carrying white bundles symbolising the bodies of Gaza’s children.

Hamas said it had accepted parts of a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, though much of Gaza remains in ruins and under siege.

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla who hoped to reach Gaza have been deported after being intercepted and detained in Israel. They say Israeli forces denied them food, water and medicine, and describe Greta Thunberg as being especially mistreated.

Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa wait near the coast in Tunisia for an opportunity to make the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean. Under an agreement signed with the European Union, the Tunisian government does what it can to stop them. NGOs and migrants accuse the Tunisian coastguard of deliberately sinking migrant boats at sea, leaving those on board to drown. Others say migrants are regularly bused out to the desert and abandoned. We investigate these allegations and meet the humans caught in the crossfire of a political battle over migration.

Gaza’s civil defence agency has reported that Israel conducted dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City – despite United States President Donald Trump’s demand to halt bombardments following Hamas’s partial acceptance of a ceasefire deal.

“It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told AFP.

Basal, who works for a rescue force, said 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight attacks.

Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, reported receiving casualties from a strike on a home in the city’s Tuffah neighbourhood, including four deaths and multiple people injured.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, officials confirmed two children were killed and eight people were wounded when a drone struck a tent in a displacement camp.

The proposal for Gaza, unveiled by Trump this week with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s support, outlines a ceasefire, the release of captives within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

On Friday, Hamas expressed willingness to release captives held in Gaza under the Trump plan but requested negotiations on some specifics and participation in decisions regarding the Palestinian territory’s future.

UK police are urging organisers to cancel a pro-Palestine protest set to take place in London this weekend after Thursday’s deadly synagogue attack. Activists say the attack should not be conflated with protests over Israel’s genocidal war.

The United States’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza is not the same as the draft proposed by a group of Arab and Muslim countries, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

“I made it clear that the 20 points that President (Donald) Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record,” Dar said, speaking to politicians on Friday, according to remarks carried by Dawn news.

His comments come after the White House on Monday released a plan with fanfare that would include a ceasefire, the return of all captives, Hamas disarmament, and a new political architecture for post-war Gaza – one that would exclude the Palestinian group.

Its release came a few minutes before Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood next to each other at the White House to announce the plan. There, Trump told Hamas it had 72 hours to accept the proposal. On Tuesday, he gave the Palestinian group three to four days to agree to the plan.

Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the group was discussing Trump’s plan and would soon announce its position on the proposal. “We are not dealing [with the plan] under the logic that time is a sword pointed at our neck,” Nazzal said.

The published document was presented as a joint effort between Israel, the US and a number of Arab and Muslim countries. Last week, several leaders from the Arab and Muslim world discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

But while there are no official records of what was discussed at that mini-summit, Axios reported that the proposal announced by the American and Israeli leaders earlier this week contained “significant changes”, requested by Netanyahu, to the draft that had been agreed on by the Arab leaders and Trump.

The amendments were made during a six-hour meeting between Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Netanyahu, the report said. The revised version ties Israel’s withdrawal to Hamas’s disarmament and allows Israel – after a withdrawal in stages – to remain within a buffer zone inside the enclave until there are no risks of any “terror threat”, it added.

A group of eight Arab and Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, welcomed Trump’s announcement in a joint statement.

Qatar has said that it agrees with the aims of the plan, and seeks further discussions on its details.

“If we speak of the main objectives, there are objectives that it [the US plan] achieves, such as ending the war, and there are things that need clarification, which certainly need discussions and negotiations,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Al Jazeera.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also said that more talks were needed. According to the US proposal, an international body chaired by Trump would have oversight, while a Palestinian technocratic committee would handle civilian governance until the Palestinian Authority reforms itself. To take care of security, according to the proposal, a stabilisation force would be deployed.

“There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” Abdelatty said on Thursday.

Experts pointed out that there are sticking points. There are questions on whether Hamas will agree to disarm since it has repeatedly said it would not, as the main face of Palestinian armed resistance.

The current proposal also nods vaguely at how reforms may open a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is not recognised as a right but as the “aspiration of the Palestinian people”.

The plan does not mention the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – a significant shift from Trump’s earlier lambasted position when he suggested the relocation of the population outside the enclave to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, which was heavily criticised as ethnic cleansing.

It also ruled out the occupation of Gaza and the annexation of the occupied West Bank – actions that Netanya’s far-right coalition members are pushing for.

Should Hamas refuse the deal, Trump ominously told Netanyahu, “You will have our full backing to do what you have to do.”

Families and friends of Gaza-bound flotilla activists detained by Israeli forces joined a demonstration in the Netherlands demanding their release. Far-right Israeli officials have suggested the activists should be held in high-security prisons.

Protesters in cities around the world have condemned Israel’s interception of the humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza and the detention of activists in international waters.

Israel has intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had been attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and had garnered global attention as one of the biggest naval aid missions to the Palestinian enclave.

The Global Sumud Flotilla – carrying more than 40 civilian boats and about 500 activists – was boarded by Israeli forces late on Wednesday, with activists on board detained and taken to Israel.

Israel had previously said that it would do whatever it takes to stop the Gaza-bound flotilla, claiming the volunteers were trying to “breach a lawful naval blockade” – a claim that goes against international law.

Israel has blockaded Gaza to varying degrees since Hamas took control of the Strip in 2007. Gaza’s residents have largely been trapped in the territory since then, with the entry of food, goods and aid strictly controlled by Israel.

Here is what to know.

What happened to the flotilla on Wednesday?

Israel intercepted boats from the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid, according to statements by the flotilla organisers.

Organisers reported that naval forces boarded vessels about 70 nautical miles (130km) offshore Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla approached the blockaded enclave.

SHIPS INTERCEPTED AND CAPTURED:

ALMA, ADARA, SIRIUS.

THE REST ARE STILL SAILING. 40 NAUTICAL MILES OFF THE GAZA COAST.

— Global Sumud Flotilla ✨ (@GSMFlotilla) October 1, 2025

Earlier in the day, activists described shadowy encounters with unlit boats and drones tailing the convoy, heightening tensions on board.

“On Wednesday … at around 8:30 pm (17:30 GMT), multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notably Alma, Surius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” a flotilla statement said.

“Prior to illegally boarding the ships, it appears as though the Israeli naval vessels intentionally damaged ship communications, in an attempt to block distress signals and stop the livestream of their illegal boat boarding.”

Despite carrying only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, the flotilla had pressed forward with its mission to establish a maritime corridor into Gaza, where nearly two years of Israel’s war have left the population facing an acute humanitarian crisis.

How did Israel respond?

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video showing a woman in military uniform speaking by phone, introducing herself as a representative of the Israeli navy.

In the call, she warns the flotilla that it is nearing a restricted, blockaded area and explains that any aid for Gaza must be sent “through the established channels”.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also said that activists on board the Gaza aid flotilla will be deported once the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.

“According to Israeli media, six boats have been intercepted so far, among them the vessel Alma. Reports suggest more interceptions are expected,” Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, said.

“Israeli soldiers have boarded the ships and detained many of the activists on board. Those detained would normally go through a legal process, but Israel is currently under near-total shutdown because of the Yom Kippur holiday,” she added.

“That means courts and prisons are not functioning, creating a limbo for the activists if they are detained.”

We will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate our sovereignty. Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur in Israel. Israel has repeatedly offered ways to peacefully deliver aid to Gaza, but this… pic.twitter.com/JVZldN0kYb

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) October 1, 2025

Since 2009, Israel has formally enforced a naval blockade it says is necessary to prevent weapons from being smuggled in. Authorities have also alleged that some flotilla organisers are connected to Hamas, a claim the activists strongly reject as unfounded.

Has this happened before?

Vessels and convoys have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza since 2010.

A few key examples include:

2010 – The Mavi Marmara incident: The most infamous case, when Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Clashes broke out, and 10 activists were killed as a result, drawing global condemnation and straining Israel–Turkiye relations.

Israel apologised for “operational mistakes” in the raid in 2013. A compensation deal is still being negotiated between the two countries. Israeli soldiers and officials who took part in the attack are being tried in absentia in Turkiye for war crimes.

2011–2018 – Smaller flotillas stopped: Several subsequent flotillas, including vessels in 2011, 2015, and 2018. Israel typically diverted the ships to Ashdod port, detained activists, and confiscated cargo. In 2018, activists were arrested, and some reported they were tasered and beaten.

2024 – Flotilla attempts: Activist groups continued organising flotillas, but Israel either prevented them from leaving ports abroad or intercepted them before they could approach Gaza.

2025 – Several flotilla missions set sail to challenge Israel’s naval blockade.

One such mission in June involved the ship Madleen, which departed from Catania, Sicily, with food, medical supplies, baby formula, and other essential goods. It also carried activists, including Greta Thunberg.

In the early hours of June 9, Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded the Madleen in international waters, using a chemical irritant spray, and then seized the vessel, detaining the 12 people on board. The activists were deported after being processed in Israel.

What else do we know about the current flotilla?

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail in late August 2025, departing from ports in Spain and Italy before stopping in Greece and Tunisia as it made its way across the Mediterranean.

The mission began with more than 50 vessels representing at least 44 countries, carrying hundreds of international volunteers, activists, and lawmakers. Among them are 24 Americans, including several military veterans, according to the organisers.

On board were symbolic yet significant amounts of humanitarian cargo, including food, medical supplies, and other essentials for Gaza’s population.

Activists reported several hostile encounters at sea, including suspected drone attacks near Malta and Crete, which left some vessels damaged and forced to withdraw. By the time the flotilla neared the eastern Mediterranean, 44 ships remained in the convoy.

International attention grew as the flotilla pressed on. Spain and Italy both deployed naval vessels to monitor its progress and offer assistance if required, while governments across Europe and beyond urged restraint from all parties.

The United Nations Security Council has voted to expand an international security force deployed to Haiti and transform it into a so-called “Gang Suppression Force”.

The resolution passed by the council on Tuesday provides a clear mandate for the force to work with local authorities to “neutralise, isolate, and deter” gangs, secure infrastructure, and seek to secure institutional stability. It would raise the personnel ceiling from 2,500 in the current mission, first approved in 2023, to 5,550 personnel.

The resolution also requests that the UN secretary-general establish a UN Support Office in Haiti to provide increased logistical support amid the Caribbean nation’s overlapping security, humanitarian and political crises.

“The result today allows us to have the necessary reconfiguration on the ground in order to face the gangs and, therefore, address the insecurity situation in the country,” Panama’s Representative to the UN Eloy Alfaro De Alba said following the vote.

“Today, we say to Haiti that, once and for all, you are not alone,” Alfaro De Alba said.

Panama and the United States first introduced the latest resolution in August. It passed on Tuesday with 12 votes in favour and none against. Permanent Security Council members China and Russia, along with rotating member Pakistan, abstained from the vote.

Following the vote, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said “the tools of international assistance to Haiti” previously approved by the Security Council had “failed to produce any sustainable results”.

He criticised the resolution for having a “virtually unrestricted mandate to use force against anyone and everyone labelled with the vague term ‘gangs’”, while further calling the plan “ill-conceived and rushed”.

Haiti has a controversial history when it comes to foreign intervention, particularly in light of rampant sexual abuses committed by peacekeepers deployed in the wake of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The forces were also responsible for a cholera outbreak that killed about 10,000 people.

But speaking last week, during the United Nations General Assembly General Debate, Laurent Saint-Cyr, the current chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, voiced support for a new force, noting that the Kenyan-led security support mission deployed for more than 15 months in the country remains woefully understaffed and underfunded.

Fewer than 1,000 police officers have been deployed under the mission, which is officially set to end on October 2, despite an initial pledge of 2,500. Nearly all of the capital, Port au Prince, remains under the control of powerful gangs.

“It is a war between criminals who want to impose violence as the social order and an unarmed population struggling to preserve human dignity,” Saint-Cyr said.

According to the UN, at least 1.3 million Haitians remain internally displaced due to violence, with 5.7 million facing food insecurity. At least 3,100 people have been killed in violent incidents between January and June 2025. At least 2,300 grave violations against children have been recorded.

The country is also in the midst of a political crisis that began with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. A general election has been repeatedly postponed amid the unrest.

On Tuesday, acting Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime hailed the resolution’s passage.

“This decision marks a major step forward in the partnership between Haiti and the international community,” he said.

Rights observers have also offered tentative support for a renewed international mission to Haiti, with Human Rights Watch saying any operation must have adequate funding and human rights protections.

The resolution passed on Tuesday does not provide specific details on such safeguards, including clear rules of engagement, saying instead that parties must work to establish those rules in line with “Haiti’s sovereignty and in strict compliance with international law”.

Like the Kenyan-led mission, the new Gang Suppression Force will also mostly rely on often unpredictable voluntary contributions from UN members.

In a statement following the vote, Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said: “After months of reckless inaction, the UN Security Council has finally taken a step to respond to Haiti’s devastating crisis”.

“For the newly created ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to be effective and avoid repeating past abuses, it should have sustained and predictable funding, sufficient personnel, and robust human rights safeguards,” Goebertus said.

United States President Donald Trump has proposed a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who welcomed the proposal.

The new proposal, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas, has been welcomed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs in the occupied West Bank, along with some regional Arab countries.

Hamas says that it is studying the US proposal “in good faith”, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group says that the plan is a “recipe to blow up the region”.

Below are the reactions from regional and Western countries.

Palestine

The PA said that it welcomes the “sincere and tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza, and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path to peace”.

“It reiterates its shared commitment to working with the United States, regional countries, and partners to end the war on Gaza through a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of hostages and prisoners,” it said in a statement published by the Palestinian afa news agency.

It also called for the “establishment of mechanisms that protect the Palestinian people, ensure respect for the ceasefire and security for both parties, prevent the annexation of land and the displacement of Palestinians, halt unilateral actions that violate international law, release Palestinian tax funds, lead to a full Israeli withdrawal, and unify Palestinian land and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” it said.

“It also ends the occupation and paves the way for a just peace based on the two-state solution, with an independent and sovereign State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness, in accordance with international law,” the statement added.

The PIJ, a Palestinian armed group fighting alongside Hamas, called Trump’s plan a “recipe for continued aggression against the Palestinian people. Through this, Israel is attempting – via the United States – to impose what it could not achieve through war,” the group said in a statement.

“Therefore, we consider the American-Israeli declaration a formula for igniting the region.”

Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye UAE

The foreign ministers of the above countries released a joint statement welcoming Trump’s “sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace”.

“Along these lines, the ministers welcome the announcement by President Trump regarding his proposal to end the war, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of the Palestinian people and advance a comprehensive peace, as well as his announcement that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank,” the statement added.

The statement went on to say that the countries are willing to work with the “United States to end the war in Gaza through a comprehensive deal that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides, full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilds Gaza and creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan has hailed Trump for his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

“I commend US President Donald Trump’s efforts and leadership aimed at halting the bloodshed in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire,” Erdogan said in a statement.

He added that Turkiye would continue to support the diplomatic process, and is committed to helping establish “a just and lasting peace acceptable to all parties”.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Sharif posted on X that he welcomed the plan.

“I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region,” he wrote.

“It is also my firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to become a reality.

“I laud President Trump’s leadership and the vital role played by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in bringing an end to this war.”

He added: “I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region.”

Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz

Gantz said on X: “I laud President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to secure a hostage deal and safeguard Israeli security. Now is the time for initiative.”

“President Trump’s plan must be implemented, our hostages brought home, Israel’s operational freedom maintained, Hamas’ terror regime in Gaza replaced and moderate Arab States instated instead as I proposed a year and a half ago.

“We must not miss out on the opportunity to bring back the hostages, safeguard our security and catalyse a ‘Strategic Flip’ expanding the circles of regional normalisation,” he added.

France

“I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis. Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on X.

“These elements must pave the way for in-depth discussions with all relevant partners to build a lasting peace in the region, based on the two-state solution and on the principles endorsed by 142 UN member states, at the initiative of France and Saudi Arabia.”

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.”

The controversial former prime minister, Tony Blair, called the plan “bold and intelligent”, adding that it “can end the war, bring immediate relief to Gaza, the chance of a brighter and better future for its people, whilst ensuring Israel’s absolute and enduring security and the release of all hostages”.

Blair used to be an international envoy for the Middle East and was named by Trump as a member of his “board of peace” for Gaza.

Italy

Italy welcomed the proposal in a statement, saying that it “could mark a turning point, enabling a permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages, and full and secure humanitarian access for the civilian population”.

Hamas, it added, “now has the opportunity to end it [war] by releasing the hostages, agreeing to have no role in Gaza’s future, and fully disarming”.

Spain

Spain, one of the most vocal critics of Israeli genocide in Gaza, has also welcomed Trump’s peace proposal.

“We must put an end to so much suffering,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X.

“It is time for the violence to cease, for the immediate release of all the hostages to take place, and for humanitarian aid to be provided to the civilian population.

“The two-State solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only possible one.”

Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela spoke of the youngest victims of Israel’s war in Gaza who are given medical treatment in his country.

Sudan’s transitional Prime Minister Kamil Idris told the 80th United Nations General Assembly Sudan’s civil war has killed 150,000 and displaced 12 million. He urged lifting chemical weapons sanctions he called “political,” condemned foreign mercenaries, and demanded an end to the siege of el-Fasher.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is “irreplaceable” and “indispensable” – not just for Gaza and the occupied West Bank but for the entire region.

That was the message several top diplomats stressed on Thursday at the UN General Assembly as they pleaded for political and financial support for the agency.

“UNRWA is a force for stability in the most unstable region of the world,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting held on the sidelines of the summit.

“UNRWA is vital to any prospects of peace and stability in the region. I urge you to do all you can to support its work.”

The agency’s role has been under the microscope since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.

As bombing campaigns and a ground invasion displaced thousands of Palestinians, UNRWA became one of the main distributors of aid in the territory.

But with the United States – once UNRWA’s largest donor – cutting off funding, the UN agency is now facing a major financial crisis with a budget deficit of $200m.

On Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned that “UNRWA is collapsing”.

“I do not have to make the case for UNRWA. The starving children of Gaza so painfully make that case,” Safadi said.

“The mothers who are watching their infants fade before their eyes make the case for UNRWA. The 600,000 or more students in Gaza, who have not gone to school for two years, make the case for UNRWA.”

The UN organisation provides healthcare, education, humanitarian aid and cash assistance to millions of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the Middle East.

The agency was founded in 1949 to look after the needs of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who were ethnically cleansed from their towns during the establishment of the state of Israel a year earlier.

Since then, UNRWA has been providing services to displaced Palestinians and their descendants, who remain stateless refugees.

For years, successive Israeli governments have pushed to delegitimise UNRWA, accusing it of distributing anti-Semitic materials and having ties to armed groups.

But critics have argued that efforts to undermine UNRWA are designed to erase the plight of Palestinian refugees who seek to return to their homes in modern-day Israel.

In the wake of the Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, pressure on UNRWA increased.

Israel falsely claimed that a significant number of UNRWA employees participated in the attack, despite providing no credible evidence.

That led several countries to suspend funding for the agency. While many subsequently restored the aid to UNRWA, the US has not.

At Thursday’s meeting, which aimed to rally international support for UNRWA, Safadi explained that the agency had been facing a “political assassination campaign” long before October 2023.

He also paid tribute to the sacrifices of UNRWA staff members, hundreds of whom have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began.

“And yet, UNRWA persists. It perseveres,” the Jordanian diplomat said.

“UNRWA staff, who bury their kin, leave and try to give help to others in need in Gaza. That’s why we must save. That’s why we say UNRWA is indispensable. Its role is irreplaceable.”

For his part, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira decried the push to discredit UNRWA.

“Legal restrictions on UNRWA operations and the closure of UNRWA offices and facilities in East Jerusalem are part of a troubling pattern of obstruction and violence carried out by the Israeli government,” he said.

“Equally concerning are attempts to delegitimise UNRWA through disinformation campaigns, defamation, legal harassment [and] initiatives aimed at replacing the agency with other humanitarian actors in Gaza with mechanisms that militarise aid distribution.”

In recent months, Israel has passed laws to ban the agency from the country and prohibit contact with it.

That, in turn, has hampered UNRWA’s operations in occupied East Jerusalem, which has been annexed by Israel.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced his country will provide 10 million euros ($11.66m) to the agency, bringing the sum that Madrid has donated to UNRWA since the start of the war to about 60 million euros ($70m).

“The needs are immense, and we need to stand by the agency and provide the financial support that it requires to operate,” Albares said.

He added that countries that do not like the UNRWA works should push for the establishment of a Palestinian state that would take on UNRWA’s tasks and take care of its own people.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that, despite the dire situation on the ground in Gaza, the agency remains operational in the territory.

“We still have 12,000 staff,” he said. “They are still – on a daily basis and against all odds – providing health services, doing nutritional screening for the children, ensuring access to clean water, managing shelters, [and] providing – whenever it is possible – some psychosocial support to the children.”

Haiti’s transitional leader Laurent Saint-Cyr told the 80th UNGA Haiti faces a “modern-day Guernica,” with rampant killings, rapes, and mass hunger. He urged urgent, large-scale international action to defend democracy, protect children, and secure Haiti’s right to peace.

At least 30 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in Israeli military strikes across central and southern Gaza since dawn.

One of Thursday’s strikes on central Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, according to the territory’s civil defence spokesperson, who spoke to the AFP news agency.

“Eleven people were killed and many are missing or wounded after an Israeli air strike targeted a house … which was sheltering displaced people north of az-Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip,” spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said.

Emergency services confirmed several children were among the dead, and bodies were taken to a nearby hospital.

Israel has escalated its offensive against the devastated Palestinian territory in recent days, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

Many are fleeing Gaza City, as Israel intensifies its campaign to capture the Strip’s largest urban centre.

Those who are displaced face uncertainty about shelter locations and must pay inflated prices in new areas for temporary accommodation.

“We have arrived in this remote area with no tents, no facilities. We cannot get water supplies. Kids cannot find anything to eat because we are far from everyone else,” said Ahlam Aqel, a displaced woman from Gaza City.

Ahmed Salama, forcibly displaced from northern Gaza, also expressed concern about his future.

“We are going to central Gaza and we do not know where we are going to stay. The al-Mawasi evacuation zone is overcrowded with displaced people. There is no single space for anyone to move there.”

Gaza has been largely reduced to ruins, and last month a United Nations-backed organisation officially declared famine in parts of the territory.

“We lost our children, our homes and our places,” said Najia Abu Amsha, a Palestinian whose nephew was killed while waiting for aid, on Wednesday. “We became beggars and sick.”

Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 65,419 people and wounded 167,160, with thousands more believed to be trapped under rubble.