Airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza, international criticism of Israel grows

Israeli forces killed at least 55 Palestinians in airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said, continuing to bombard the enclave despite mounting international pressure to halt military operations and allow unimpeded deliveries of aid.

Britain announced it was suspending trade talks with Israel and summoning its ambassador over "egregious policies" in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asked for a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing a worsening hunger crisis. It has strained Israel's relations with much of the world and those with its closest ally, the United States, now appear to be wavering.

The UN said no humanitarian aid had been distributed yet in Gaza, although Israel eased its 11-week-old blockade on Monday.

"Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team's access from inside Gaza," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

He said four trucks of baby food were dropped off on the Palestinian side of the border on Monday, and that a few dozen trucks of flour, medicine, nutrition supplies and other basic items entered Gaza on Tuesday.

Israel's military said 93 UN aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday via Kerem Shalom "after a thorough security inspection".

Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar appeared to falter again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he had decided to bring back the senior negotiating team from Doha for consultations.

Hamas accused Netanyahu of entering the talks in bad faith, pretending to participate in a bid to mislead global public opinion. "No real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday," the group said in a statement.

Israel's military chief said during a Gaza field tour that the army would expand its operations against Hamas, capture additional territory and "clear and destroy the terrorist infrastructure until (Hamas) is defeated".

18 DEAD IN AIRSTRIKE ON TWO HOMES

Israel conducted further airstrikes on Tuesday across the densely populated enclave and medics said the sites hit included two homes where children were among the 18 dead, and a school housing displaced families.

Israel's military, which on Monday warned those in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to evacuate to the coast as it prepared for an "unprecedented attack", had no comment. Israel says Hamas uses civilian buildings for cover; Hamas denies this.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past nine days as the military campaign has intensified, Gaza medics say.

SANCTIONS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament he, along with the leaders of France and Canada, was "horrified" by Israel's military escalation, repeating calls for a ceasefire.

The three nations had warned on Monday of "concrete actions" against Israel if it did not stop military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on aid.

In addition to suspending trade talks, Britain announced sanctions against a number of individuals and groups in the Israeli-occupied West Bank over alleged violence against Palestinian residents.

EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers have been prepared but have so far been blocked by one member state, the EU's Kallas said, without naming the country. "External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X.

Israel's ground and air offensive has displaced nearly all Gaza's 2.3 million residents and killed more than 53,000, according to Gaza health authorities.

The campaign began after Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza's border in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.