Mass Arrests at London Protest as Truce Talks Resume in Cairo
London’s Metropolitan Police arrested over 500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a sit-down protest in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. The arrests, involving individuals aged 18 to 87, targeted supporters of the banned group Palestine Action. The crackdown comes as a Hamas delegation prepares for critical talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Sunday. The group aims to address alleged Israeli violations of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, demanding an end to military operations, the full reopening of border crossings, and increased humanitarian aid.
UN Condemns “Unrelenting” Killings as Medical Crisis Deepens
Six months into the ceasefire, the United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, condemned an “unrelenting pattern of killings” in Gaza, citing “sweeping impunity.” This condemnation follows reports of continued lethal violence. On Thursday, Israeli fire killed a young female student, Ritaj Rihan, in a tent classroom in Beit Lahiya. Separate airstrikes in Jabalia and Khan Younis claimed three more lives. Concurrently, a severe medical blockade persists. Aid organization Medical Aid for Palestinians reports that over half of essential medicines and 64% of cancer drugs are out of stock in Gaza, with more than 18,500 critically ill patients awaiting evacuation.
Political and Financial Hurdles Stall Post-War Plans
Efforts to stabilize Gaza face significant political and financial obstacles. Israel has blocked Spain from participating in a US-led coordination center monitoring the truce, accusing Madrid of “anti-Israel bias.” Furthermore, a key component of the US peace plan is stalling. Sources indicate that Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has received less than $1 billion of a pledged $17 billion, crippling its ability to deploy a Palestinian administrative body to Gaza. This funding crisis is exacerbated by regional tensions, including the Iran war.
Settlement Expansion and Journalist Deaths Inflame Tensions
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli watchdog Peace Now reported the approval of 34 new Jewish settlements, a move condemned by the Palestinian Presidency as a “flagrant violation of international law.” This expansion coincides with rising settler violence. Meanwhile, the death toll among journalists continues to climb. An Israeli drone strike on Wednesday killed Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah, bringing the network’s fatalities to 12 since the war’s onset and raising the total journalist deaths in Gaza to at least 262.
