Key Points
- Israel detains over 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank
- UN agency warns of dire conditions in Gaza
- France says Palestinian state is the ‘only solution’ for peace
GAZA — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to local health authorities — the majority in Gaza City, where many residents remain despite Israeli evacuation orders, citing a lack of safe alternatives.
Israel has declared its intention to take full control of the devastated city, where around one million people are currently sheltering. As part of its ongoing campaign to eliminate the militant group Hamas, it has intensified its bombardment, residents reported.
“The explosions haven’t stopped since yesterday,” said Adel, a 60-year-old father of two living near the Beach refugee camp in Gaza City. He declined to give his full name for security reasons.
“Many families have fled their homes — and that is exactly what the occupation wants,” he told Reuters via a messaging app. “With these airstrikes, they are sending a clear message: ‘Either leave your area or die there.’”
Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed 64,718 Palestinians — including approximately 20,000 children — according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Over 1,000 Palestinians Detained in West Bank
Israeli forces have detained more than 1,000 Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, as part of a military operation now in its second day, according to local officials.
Abdullah Kamil, governor of Tulkarem, described the campaign as “collective punishment” and called on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene, warning of severe humanitarian consequences.
Palestinian Authority Urges Global Action
The Palestinian Authority has issued an urgent appeal for international intervention to safeguard Tulkarem, accusing Israel of subjecting its residents to collective punishment.
In a statement released by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X (formerly Twitter), officials said civilians in Tulkarem are enduring house raids, mass detentions, road closures, and property seizures under what it described as “brutal and unlawful measures.”
The ministry warned that the current Israeli campaign is part of a broader strategy aimed at destabilizing the West Bank to enable annexation, settlement expansion, and the forced displacement of Palestinians.
“The ongoing lack of accountability only emboldens the Israeli government to escalate its unilateral and illegal practices,” the statement said, urging the international community to turn its consensus into concrete action to stop the assault and uphold international law.
UN Warns of Dire Conditions in Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) issued a stark warning on Friday, stating that civilians in Gaza are facing increasingly desperate conditions, including widespread food insecurity and a complete lack of safe refuge from ongoing hostilities.
“In Gaza, civilians are trapped with nowhere safe to go,” the agency said in a statement posted on X.
“Families continue to face extreme conditions and worsening food insecurity,” it added, calling for urgent international action. “Urgent action is needed. #Ceasefire, before it’s too late.”
France: Palestinian State Is ‘Only Solution’ for Peace
France’s outgoing foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said the establishment of a Palestinian state is the “only solution” likely to bring peace and stability to the region.
“There will be a Palestinian state because it is the only solution likely to bring peace and stability to the region — the only alternative to a permanent state of war,” Barrot told broadcaster France Inter.
Citing Israel’s failure to uphold its human rights obligations, he emphasized France’s willingness to increase pressure on the Israeli government.
“What is happening in Gaza — the famine, what is happening in the West Bank — the colonization, the financial blockade on the Palestinian Authority — all of that is unacceptable.
We must increase pressure on the Israeli government — not on the people, but on the government,” Barrot said.
