UN urges reversal of US sanctions on Gaza rights expert
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday urged the US to reverse course and withdraw sanctions leveled against UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
"Even in the face of fierce disagreement," said Turk, "UN member states should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures."
"I urge the prompt reversal of US sanctions against Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council Francesca Albanese in response to work she has undertaken under the mandate on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory."
Türk's words came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that Washington had placed sanctions on Italian lawyer Albanese over what Rubio said was "her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (ICC [International Criminal Court]) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."
A staunch critic of the Netanyahu government and its treatment of Palestinians, Albanese this month published a report accusing more than 60 companies — some of them US firms — of supporting Israeli military action in Gaza, as well as settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Albanese's report claimed parties had "profited from the Israeli economy of illegal occupation, apartheid, and now genocide" in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Albanese slammed the US sanctions, saying they were, "calculated to weaken my mission."
Israel, however, commended Rubio's action, with Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon claiming, "Albanese has consistently undermined the credibility of the UN Human Rights Council by promoting false narratives and pushing for illegitimate legal actions that ignore the realities on the ground."
EU reaches Gaza humanitarian access deal with Israel
European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Thursday announced that the bloc had reached an agreement with Israel to increase humanitarian aid to beleaguered Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
"Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," wrote Kallas on X.
"This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed."
Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza were blocked by Israel for 11 weeks from March to May. Even after lifting the total blockade, international aid agencies say Israel continues to make access to aid both difficult and dangerous. Aid agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians lack access to clean water, food, and medicine.
Kallas has advocated for negotiations and an end to fighting in Gaza, saying "violence feeds more violence." In March, she traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, telling them, "resuming negotiations is the only way to put an end to the suffering on both sides."
Kallas' mission is a sensitive one, as the Israeli government was irked by her predecessor Josep Borrell's outspoken criticism of its military campaign in Gaza and was hoping for a fresh start.
Dozens reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
Several people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The news agency cited medical sources in claiming that at least 31 people, including children, had died.
A Gaza civil defense official told AFP reporters that at least 17 people had been killed at a medical point in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Further deaths were reported in southern Khan Younis as well as in Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported intense deployments near Khan Younis, where it said a major underground tunnel was uncovered and destroyed.
"Over the past week, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists and dismantled more than 130 terrorist infrastructure sites both above and below ground, including weapon stockpiles, booby-trapped buildings, observation posts, and launch positions directed at IDF troops," the Israeli military said.
Neither the death toll nor the reported destruction of Hamas infrastructure could be independently verified.
German Foreign Minister Wadephul calls on Israel to save Palestinians from starvation
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday called on Israel to save "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from starvation.
"That is Israel's obligation. International aid organizations must immediately be granted comprehensive access to be able to bring humanitarian aid to the people," said Wadephul.
Israel has thrown international agencies out of Gaza and installed the highly controversial — and to date deadly and inefficient — US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in their place.
The foreign minister also called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to lay down its arms and release any hostages it is still holding in Gaza.
He said Palestinians need to have a future in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem if there is ever to be long-lasting peace.
He emphasized that such a future should be one in which Hamas no longer rules in Gaza.
Rescuers search for missing Red Sea sailors
Search and rescue operations are underway in the Red Sea as more than a dozen crew members from the Greek-owned Eternity C remain unaccounted for after their ship was attacked by Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Three further crew members and a security were pulled from the Red Sea on Thursday, according to maritime security sources speaking with Reuters news agency.
The Iran-backed militants reportedly killed at least three crew members in a gunfire and explosive drone attack that lasted for hours. The group released video footage claiming to show the Liberian-flagged vessel sinking.
A statement from the EU's Red Sea naval mission said a total of 25 people were on the vessel at the time of the attack — 22 sailors and a three-member security detail. So far, six men have been rescued, pulled from the sea after more than 24 hours in the water.
The US Embassy in Yemen, meanwhile, accused the Houthis of having kidnapped several crew members.
A statement by the US mission on X called "for their immediate and unconditional safe release," noting that "the Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organization."
The Eternity C is the second cargo ship rebels have sunk in recent days, with the bulk carrier Magic Seas also targeted and sunk, allegedly for doing business with Israel.
Citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis have attacked more than 100 such ships in the Red Sea since November 2023.
The two attacks this week are the first since November 2024.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday urged the US to reverse course and withdraw sanctions leveled against UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
"Even in the face of fierce disagreement," said Turk, "UN member states should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures."
"I urge the prompt reversal of US sanctions against Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council Francesca Albanese in response to work she has undertaken under the mandate on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory."
Türk's words came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that Washington had placed sanctions on Italian lawyer Albanese over what Rubio said was "her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (ICC [International Criminal Court]) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."
A staunch critic of the Netanyahu government and its treatment of Palestinians, Albanese this month published a report accusing more than 60 companies — some of them US firms — of supporting Israeli military action in Gaza, as well as settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Albanese's report claimed parties had "profited from the Israeli economy of illegal occupation, apartheid, and now genocide" in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Albanese slammed the US sanctions, saying they were, "calculated to weaken my mission."
Israel, however, commended Rubio's action, with Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon claiming, "Albanese has consistently undermined the credibility of the UN Human Rights Council by promoting false narratives and pushing for illegitimate legal actions that ignore the realities on the ground."
EU reaches Gaza humanitarian access deal with Israel
European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Thursday announced that the bloc had reached an agreement with Israel to increase humanitarian aid to beleaguered Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
"Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," wrote Kallas on X.
"This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed."
Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 10, 2025
This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers.
We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed.
Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza were blocked by Israel for 11 weeks from March to May. Even after lifting the total blockade, international aid agencies say Israel continues to make access to aid both difficult and dangerous. Aid agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians lack access to clean water, food, and medicine.
Kallas has advocated for negotiations and an end to fighting in Gaza, saying "violence feeds more violence." In March, she traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, telling them, "resuming negotiations is the only way to put an end to the suffering on both sides."
Kallas' mission is a sensitive one, as the Israeli government was irked by her predecessor Josep Borrell's outspoken criticism of its military campaign in Gaza and was hoping for a fresh start.
Dozens reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
Several people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The news agency cited medical sources in claiming that at least 31 people, including children, had died.
A Gaza civil defense official told AFP reporters that at least 17 people had been killed at a medical point in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Further deaths were reported in southern Khan Younis as well as in Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported intense deployments near Khan Younis, where it said a major underground tunnel was uncovered and destroyed.
"Over the past week, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists and dismantled more than 130 terrorist infrastructure sites both above and below ground, including weapon stockpiles, booby-trapped buildings, observation posts, and launch positions directed at IDF troops," the Israeli military said.
Neither the death toll nor the reported destruction of Hamas infrastructure could be independently verified.
German Foreign Minister Wadephul calls on Israel to save Palestinians from starvation
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday called on Israel to save "hundreds of thousands" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from starvation.
"That is Israel's obligation. International aid organizations must immediately be granted comprehensive access to be able to bring humanitarian aid to the people," said Wadephul.
Israel has thrown international agencies out of Gaza and installed the highly controversial — and to date deadly and inefficient — US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in their place.
The foreign minister also called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to lay down its arms and release any hostages it is still holding in Gaza.
He said Palestinians need to have a future in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem if there is ever to be long-lasting peace.
He emphasized that such a future should be one in which Hamas no longer rules in Gaza.
Rescuers search for missing Red Sea sailors
Search and rescue operations are underway in the Red Sea as more than a dozen crew members from the Greek-owned Eternity C remain unaccounted for after their ship was attacked by Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Three further crew members and a security were pulled from the Red Sea on Thursday, according to maritime security sources speaking with Reuters news agency.
The Iran-backed militants reportedly killed at least three crew members in a gunfire and explosive drone attack that lasted for hours. The group released video footage claiming to show the Liberian-flagged vessel sinking.
A statement from the EU's Red Sea naval mission said a total of 25 people were on the vessel at the time of the attack — 22 sailors and a three-member security detail. So far, six men have been rescued, pulled from the sea after more than 24 hours in the water.
The US Embassy in Yemen, meanwhile, accused the Houthis of having kidnapped several crew members.
A statement by the US mission on X called "for their immediate and unconditional safe release," noting that "the Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organization."
On the Houthi Kidnappings of Eternity C Crew. #USAwithYemen pic.twitter.com/tDWIqPoSBd
— U.S. Embassy Yemen السفارة الأمريكية لدى اليمن (@USEmbassyYemen) July 9, 2025
The Eternity C is the second cargo ship rebels have sunk in recent days, with the bulk carrier Magic Seas also targeted and sunk, allegedly for doing business with Israel.
Citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis have attacked more than 100 such ships in the Red Sea since November 2023.
The two attacks this week are the first since November 2024.
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