The European Union will release 50 million euros in aid to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) “early next week,” the European Commission said on Friday, March 1, before releasing a further 32 million thereafter. In late January, the European Union called for a review of UNRWA's operations following allegations of possible involvement of some of its staff in the October 7 attack in Israel. Follow our live stream.
France calls for an investigation. “An independent investigation is needed to find out what happened,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said on France Inter after Hamas reported 112 dead and 760 injured during a food distribution in Gaza. If circumstances require clarification, the Israeli army admitted opening fire.
The international community is outraged. European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell denounced “new bloodbath” and “totally unacceptable” deaths on X, while the United States demanded “answers” from Israel. China, Italy, Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have also condemned these events. The UN Security Council met urgently behind closed doors and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” and called for “an effective independent investigation”.
Hope for a ceasefire is fading. There will “probably” not be a ceasefire by Monday, Joe Biden said, after saying earlier in the week that he hoped for a ceasefire by March 4. Asked whether he believed the killings during food distribution would have an impact on the ceasefire negotiations, the US president replied: “I know that.”
A call to protect Palestinian journalists in Gaza. More than 30 international media outlets, including the world's major news agencies, expressed solidarity on Thursday with Palestinian journalists working in extreme hardship in Gaza and called on Israeli authorities to “protect” them.