Skip next section Council of Europe calls for further arms embargoes on IsraelAugust 12, 2025
Council of Europe calls for further arms embargoes on IsraelThe Council of Europe — a human rights organization representing 46 countries but not affiliated with the European Union
— has urged its members to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel “where there is a risk that they may be used to commit human rights violations.”
The call comes shortly after Germany said it would authorize no military equipment exports that can be used in the Gaza Strip.
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council’s commissioner for human rights, said member states should do “their utmost to prevent and address violations of international human rights” in the ongoing conflict.
He also said it was “essential to intensify efforts to provide relief to those affected by the conflict, by supporting efforts to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and by pressing for the immediate release of [Israeli] hostages.”
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched a deadly surprise incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, prompting the ongoing Israeli retaliation, is still holding around 50 Israelis hostage, around 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the plan to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City is “the best way to end the war.”
But several world leaders have condemned the decision to widen the war, fearing it will result in even further displacement, destruction and death for the Palestinian civilian population, not to mention danger for Israeli troops and hostages.
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Skip next section ‘Everybody is hungry… and they’re still working,’ MSF doctor saysAugust 12, 2025
‘Everybody is hungry… and they’re still working,’ MSF doctor saysGaza’s shattered healthcare system is stretched beyond its limits and its personnel pushed to the brink of exhaustion, according to Dr. Mohammed Fadlalla from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). He describes facilities as “overrun with patients.”
The strain is compounded by the fact that medical staff are enduring the same hardships as their patients, he told DW.
“Everybody is hungry, nobody has eaten the day before, everybody is losing weight, everybody is exhausted and burnt out, and they’re still working,” Fadlalla said, noting that it has become “routine” for medical staff to share stories of loved ones lost in the war.
“The only difference between the staff and the patients is that the doctors and nurses haven’t been shot yet,” he said.
Dr. Fadlalla also conveyed the deep frustration expressed by his Palestinian colleagues, who feel increasingly abandoned by the international community.
“We’re losing hope in America,” he said. “Somebody needs to step up and and stop what’s going on.”
The doctor said the United States has the “power to stop and influence this” and begged President Donald Trump to “step up.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4yt1Z
Skip next section WATCH: Inside an overwhelmed Gaza hospitalAugust 12, 2025
WATCH: Inside an overwhelmed Gaza hospitalSpanish doctor Raul Incertis volunteered for four months in Gaza, working at the Al Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.
He describes to DW the conditions inside the hospital as it was overwhelmed by mass casualties, including young children and civilians he claims were targeted intentionally by the Israeli military.
Warning: This report contains graphic images that viewers may find distressing.
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Skip next section Germany-Israel relations ‘strained’ after arms export stop, says envoyAugust 12, 2025
Germany-Israel relations ‘strained’ after arms export stop, says envoyIsrael’s ambassador to Germany has said that diplomatic relations between the two countries have been “strained” by Berlin’s decision to partially halt arms exports.
“This is a cause for celebration for Hamas,” Ron Prosor told Welt TV after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a pause in the authorization of weapons exports to Israel that could be used offensively and cause further civilian suffering Gaza.
Merz made the decision in response to much-criticized Israeli plans to expand military operations in the besieged enclave by fully occupying Gaza City.
Ambassador Prosor accepted that critics could take issue with the Israeli strategy but said leaving Israel “without defense, without weapons” meant leaving the state “defenseless.”
For clarification: Merz stressed that the German export restrictions do not affect equipment required for Israel’s self-defense, such as air and naval defense systems; only offensive weaponry.
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Skip next section Foreign ministers condemn ‘unimaginable’ suffering in GazaAugust 12, 2025
Foreign ministers condemn ‘unimaginable’ suffering in GazaA group of 24 foreign ministers have once again condemned the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called for immediate action to combat hunger and starvation.
“The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels,” read a statement signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
“Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicized,” the ministers stressed.
The statement, which was also signed by European Union figures, criticized “restrictive new registration requirements” which it said were preventing international NGOs from distributing aid.
“We call on the government of Israel to provide authorization for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating,” it read.
The signatories called for a “ceasefire that can end the war, for hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4ysZ5
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageAugust 12, 2025
Welcome to our coverageHello and welcome to DW’s coverage of developments in the Middle East on Tuesday, August 12.
A group of 24 foreign ministers from around the world have called for urgent action as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate as a result of Israeli restrictions on aid.
Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Germany says diplomatic ties with Berlin strained after a curb on weapons exports.
https://p.dw.com/p/4yscH
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