Gaza blockade to end amid fresh offensive

After bowing to regional and international pressure, Israel said on Sunday it is allowing basic humanitarian aid to enter Gaza after weeks of blockade, but its military incursions remain undeterred even as possible famine looms over the enclave.

The announcement, which did not specify the resumption date, followed the 34th Arab League Summit and the 5th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Iraq.

The meetings decried Israel's "war crimes", demanded an immediate ceasefire and the reconstruction of Gaza, and rejected all moves that would uproot the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the "immediate" resumption of aid at a security cabinet meeting on Sunday. The decision came at the recommendation of military officials, his office said.

On Monday, Netanyahu said Israel will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the territory.

"The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip," Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram.

Also on Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, warned of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that "2 million people are starving".

On the ground, the Israeli military issued an evacuation call to Gazans in the southern city of Khan Younis and nearby areas ahead of what it described as an "unprecedented attack".

The call came after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in an expanded offensive against Hamas, and following airstrikes that rescuers said killed at least 22 people on Monday.

Ceasefire urged

In a post on X, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a permanent ceasefire. He said nothing justified Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and nothing justified the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

He also condemned violence in the occupied West Bank

The summits in Iraq also urged the international community and influential states "to fulfill their moral and legal obligations" to advocate for a cessation of bloodshed and ensure unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori, a lecturer in the Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies at International Islamic University Malaysia, said the declarations made at the summit "remain largely symbolic unless backed by tangible political and legal steps".

"It appears to me the summit is reactive to United States President Donald Trump's controversial statements rather than proactive in advancing a unified Arab vision for Palestine," said Abdul Wahed, who authored State-Building Under Foreign Occupation: The Case of Iraq 2003-2008.

Wrapping up a tour to the Middle East last week, Trump said he wanted to "take" the Gaza Strip and turn it into a "freedom zone". He also said there were "a lot of bad things going on".

Abdul Wahed said: "'Bad things are happening' is an ambiguous and depoliticized phrase that dilutes the severity of the situation — mass displacement, destruction of infrastructure, civilian deaths, and potential war crimes are not merely 'bad things' but violations of international law.

"Such wording allows Trump to appear concerned while avoiding direct criticism of Israel, maintaining political neutrality in language while enabling asymmetrical violence through policy."

Agencies contributed to this story.