Israel is facing growing international backlash over its renewed military offensive in Gaza, which has killed hundreds in recent days and further deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis.
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a stern warning to Israel on Monday, threatening “concrete actions,” including targeted sanctions, if the country does not halt its latest ground assault and lift restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The new phase of Israel’s military campaign—dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”—was launched over the weekend, shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump left the region without securing a ceasefire or hostage agreement. The Israeli military confirmed that troops had entered both northern and southern Gaza in what it said was a response to Hamas’ failure to agree to a new deal.
According to Gaza health authorities, the offensive follows days of intense airstrikes that have killed entire families and shuttered the last operational hospital in the enclave’s north. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported Monday that at least 136 people were killed in the past 24 hours alone. Since Thursday, more than 400 have died and over 1,000 others have been injured, according to a CNN tally based on local health data.
The broader toll of the war, which began on October 7, 2023, now exceeds 53,000 dead in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children, the health ministry said.
The Israeli military said it has struck over 670 Hamas targets over the past week. One of those strikes reportedly hit a medical supplies warehouse at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, damaging equipment donated by the UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the latest offensive on May 5. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the operation aims to achieve “all the goals of the war in Gaza,” including dismantling Hamas and rescuing remaining hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday declared that Israel intends to “take control of the entire Gaza Strip.”
While Israel has allowed a limited delivery of food into Gaza, aid organizations have described the measure as insufficient. The Israeli agency responsible for overseeing aid shipments said five trucks entered the territory Monday, but UN aid chief Tom Fletcher called the delivery “limited” and a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deteriorate. With an 11-week blockade compounding the devastation from nearly 19 months of war, the United Nations warns that all 2.1 million residents are at risk of famine.
In response to these conditions, international leaders are pressing Israel to allow full humanitarian access. “If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response,” said a joint statement from the UK, France, and Canada.
Netanyahu fired back at the statement, accusing the leaders of “offering a huge prize” to Hamas fighters and “inviting more such atrocities” like those committed on October 7.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers from 23 nations—including Germany, Italy, and the UK—alongside EU representatives, have demanded the immediate resumption of full humanitarian aid access and called on Israel to allow the UN and other organizations to operate “independently and impartially to save lives.”
“Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza’s people must receive the aid they desperately need,” the joint statement read.
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel resumed in Doha on Saturday, but so far, they have failed to produce a breakthrough. As the offensive continues, so does the urgent call from the international community to prevent further loss of life.
