Listen: Israel denies starvation in Gaza as the EU proposes symbolic sanctions

There is no relief for Gazans. On Monday alone, at least 78 Palestinians were killed, including children and people queuing for food and medicine. This, despite Israel announcing the 10 hour so-called “humanitarian pauses” in certain non-combat zones. But how are Israel’s claims about aid and civilian safety being contradicted by humanitarian organisations and even by Western leaders?

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You can find the transcript here:

There is no relief for Gazans. On Monday alone, at least 78 Palestinians were killed, including children and people queuing for food and medicine. This, despite Israel announcing the 10 hour so-called “humanitarian pauses” in certain non-combat zones. But how are Israel’s claims about aid and civilian safety being contradicted by humanitarian organisations and even by Western leaders?

According to the UN and aid agencies, the humanitarian crisis has reached famine levels. More than 80 people have died of starvation this month, including 24 children. The World Health Organization says that acute malnutrition has tripled in northern Gaza. UN aid trucks are routinely looted by desperate civilians or worse, never reach their destination due to Israeli military restrictions.

Meanwhile, Israel insists there is no policy of starvation calling the reports outrageous and the humanitarian agencies “fanatical organisations”. Prime Minister Netanyahu claims no one is starving in Gaza and the aid flow continues. But images of skeletal children and looted food trucks tell a different story. Even Donald Trump, who isn’t known for restraint, contradicted Netanyahu this week, saying: “Those children look very hungry... you can’t fake that.”

Now, this is one of the worst crises of our time. And after months of inaction, the European Commission has finally proposed suspending part of its association agreement with Israel, specifically, access to Horizon Europe, the EU’s €95 billion research and development programme. The focus is on the European Innovation Council, a €10 billion fund that supports Israeli startups.

This move is just a symbolic one but it would be the EU’s first tangible move to pressure Israel.
And of course not everyone is on board. Germany, Italy and two others have blocked consensus. Berlin is key here and Friedrich Merz, usually pro-Israel, now calls the crisis “catastrophic.”

And then there’s the Netherlands. Traditionally supportive of Israel, but now pushing for a broader review of trade ties and Dutch PM Dick Schoof says enough is enough.

But let’s be honest, these are baby steps. And they follow months of delay, despite mounting death tolls and societal pressure.

So what can we expect here?

Pressure is growing, diplomatically and from within. In the UK, Keir Starmer says he wants to recognise a Palestinian state before the next general election. This is a significant shift in British foreign policy, and a clear sign that the political mood is changing.

And it’s not the only one, within the UK Jewish community, views are shifting. The editor of Jewish News called the Gaza crisis “also Israel-made.” Another high-profile figure quit the Board of Deputies, now calling Israel’s actions “genocidal.”

And in Israel itself, two domestic rights groups, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, broke ranks this week, accusing their own government of genocide. These are not fringe voices. They say Gaza has been bombed, starved, displaced, and left “stripped of humanity.”

Israel, of course, denies these charges, arguing it’s targeting Hamas and doing its best to avoid civilian harm. But the death toll, now nearing 60,000 people, tells another story.