GAZA CITY: European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said fresh attacks killed dozens of people on Tuesday.
An AFP journalist saw some trucks entering the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza from the Israeli side on Tuesday, a day after the UN said it had been cleared to send aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.
The dire humanitarian situation in the Strip has prompted an international outcry, with the European Union saying it would review its trade cooperation deal with Israel over alleged human rights abuses following a foreign ministers鈥� meeting on Tuesday.
The bloc鈥檚 top diplomat Kaja Kallas said 鈥渁 strong majority鈥� of its 27 member states backed the move, adding 鈥渢he countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid.鈥�
Sweden said it would press the EU to level sanctions against Israeli ministers.
鈥淪ince we do not see a clear improvement for the civilians in Gaza, we need to raise the tone further,鈥� said Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.
And Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said it was imposing sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest actions so far against Israel鈥檚 conduct of the war.
鈥淏locking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,鈥� Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in an impassioned speech to parliament.
Responding to Britain鈥檚 moves, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said 鈥渆xternal pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security.鈥�
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said 鈥�93 UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including flour for bakeries, food for babies, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical drugs were transferred鈥� to Gaza on Tuesday.
The spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres confirmed dozens of trucks were allowed in, but spoke of difficulties receiving the deliveries.
鈥淭oday, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to... collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,鈥� Stephane Dujarric said.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that the nine trucks cleared to enter on Monday were 鈥渁 drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.鈥�
He told the BBC on Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, replying to a Democrat鈥檚 comment during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting, said he understood 鈥渢hat it鈥檚 not in sufficient amounts, but we were pleased to see that decision was made鈥� to restart aid shipments.
The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza鈥檚 rulers Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.
Strikes overnight and early Tuesday left 鈥�44 dead, mostly children and women, as well as dozens of wounded,鈥� civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
Bassal said 15 people were killed when a petrol station was hit near the Nuseirat refugee camp, and eight others were killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City to the north.
The Israeli military told AFP it had 鈥渟truck a Hamas terrorist who was operating from within a command and control center鈥� inside the school compound. There was no comment on the other incidents.
At the bombarded petrol station, Nuseirat resident Mahmoud Al-Louh carried a cloth bag of body parts to a vehicle.
鈥淭hey are civilians, children who were sleeping. What was their fault?鈥� he told AFP.
In a statement on Tuesday, the military said it had carried out strikes on more than 鈥�100 terror targets鈥� in Gaza over the past day.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would 鈥渢ake control of all the territory of the Strip鈥� with its new campaign.
Israel resumed operations across Gaza on March 18, bringing an end to a two-month ceasefire amid deadlock over how to proceed.
Negotiators from Israel and Hamas began a new round of indirect talks in Doha over the weekend, just as the intensified campaign was getting underway.
Qatar, which has been involved in mediation efforts throughout the war, said Tuesday that Israel鈥檚 鈥渋rresponsible, aggressive behavior鈥� had undermined the chances of a ceasefire.
Hours later, Netanyahu鈥檚 office accused Hamas of refusing to accept a deal, saying Israel was recalling its senior negotiators but leaving the 鈥渨orking levels鈥� of its team in Doha.
A source close to Hamas alleged that Israel鈥檚 delegation 鈥渉as not held any real negotiations since last Sunday,鈥� blaming 鈥淣etanyahu鈥檚 systematic policy of obstruction.鈥�
The Hamas attack in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.
Gaza鈥檚 health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war鈥檚 overall toll to 53,573.