Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has sharply criticised the EU for failing to act over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, stating that "half of the bombs falling on Gaza are supplied by us."

Speaking after receiving the Carlos V European Award at the Yuste Monastery in Spain, Borrell said Europe is witnessing "the biggest ethnic cleansing operation since World War II," aimed at creating a "holiday resort" after the elimination of Palestinians.

He described the situation in Gaza as "genocide" and said the EU, despite having the means to protest and influence Israeli actions, is failing to do so.

"The EU is not doing what it can," he said.

The UN has said that 70% of Gaza is either within Israeli militarised zones, under displacement orders, or in areas where the two overlap.

Emphasising continued obstruction of aid efforts due to Israeli restrictions, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news conference that the UN's "partners working to support telecommunications in Gaza tell us that the fibre optic cable has been damaged for more than six weeks, while Israeli authorities continue to deny coordination requests to allow us to repair it."

"The latest rejection was this morning, as the cable is a critical source of data connectivity for humanitarian responders," Haq said.

He added that UN teams are still struggling to secure consistent access to fuel, and reported that: "Today, a UN team led by OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) retrieved some supplies from a fuel station in Rafah after the Israeli authorities facilitated our colleagues' efforts to reach it."

"This is the second consecutive day we've been allowed to retrieve fuel from Rafah after nearly three weeks of denials," Haq said.

However, he noted that these supplies "represent a trickle compared to the immense needs," emphasising that the UN's "OCHA stresses the need for Israeli authorities to facilitate humanitarian movements inside Gaza."

"70% of the Gaza Strip is either within the Israeli military militarized zone, under displacement orders, or in areas where these two overlap," he stated.

The barrier —1,500 metres long and six metres high — Palestinians say, is turning their hometown, home to nearly 6,000 people, into a walled prison controlled by a single Israeli soldier stationed at a locked gate.

Once a child with mild disabilities, Dana now suffers from severe malnutrition and rapidly deteriorating health, her body reduced to skin and bones, her voice replaced by faint whimpers of pain.

At least 52,787 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023, the Health Ministry has said.

A ministry statement said that 27 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the enclave over the last 24 hours, while 85 others were injured, taking the number of injured people to 119,349.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Thousands of Israelis have attended a peace conference that called for ending the war on Gaza and finding a political settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The conference titled "People’s Peace Summit" was attended by over 5,000 participants and organised by the coalition "It’s Time," representing over 60 rights and peace-building organisations.

Among the participants are reservist soldiers opposing the continuation of the war, families of Israeli captives held in Gaza, along with activists and public figures.

Yemen's Houthis have said they attacked Israel's main airport after the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group targeted the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv "using a hypersonic ballistic missile", while also claiming a drone attack "targeting a vital Israeli enemy target" in the same area.

It is "very difficult" to imagine any operation to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza without the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, a UNRWA spokeswoman has said.

"It is impossible to replace UNRWA in a place like Gaza. We are the largest humanitarian organisation," the agency's spokeswoman Juliette Touma told a press conference in Geneva when asked about that proposal.

Israeli defence minister has said Israel will respond forcefully in Yemen and “wherever necessary’ following a launch from Yemen.