Gaza: partial reopening of Rafah border crossing
Israeli authorities have reopened the only border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for a limited number of people. More than two months after the UN resolution on the peace plan, Europe's press takes a sceptical look at the situation on the ground.
More empty words than concrete help
The opening has little to do with freedom of movement, Der Standard emphasises:
“Only a total of 150 people per day will be allowed to cross the border in either direction. Trump can emphasise as much as he likes that a Palestinian technocratic government is in charge on the ground, but the members of this government are being prevented by Israel from entering Gaza. The people of Gaza, who are living in tents full of holes, need concrete steps and help with reconstruction. As long as Washington continues with its empty rhetoric and Israel continues its blocking measures, they will wait in vain.”
No realisation on either side
There is still little sign of peace being established, observes the Süddeutsche Zeitung:
“A few Palestinians are allowed to enter or leave through the reopened Rafah border crossing, but that's it. Israel was supposed to continue its withdrawal, but the opposite is happening. Hamas was supposed to surrender its weapons, but it's patrolling Gaza with its new police units and repeatedly attacking Israeli soldiers. Sometimes major wars or senseless terror are followed by the realisation that a new path is needed, that violence mostly only leads to more violence and no solution. In Israel and Gaza, there is no such realisation on either side.”
Iran crisis diverting attention from Palestinians' plight
Columnist Pierre Haski comments on France Inter:
“The ceasefire has frozen a situation that is far from stable. Trump's plan is only slowly entering its second phase. ... Neither the planned international force for Gaza nor the immense challenge of reconstruction are within reach. The political conditions are also far from being implemented: Hamas remains in control, while Israel insists that a Palestinian state is out of the question. ... Without international will - which is lacking - this impasse cannot be overcome. ... The Iranian regime has given its Israeli enemy a great gift with its brutal and inhumane suppression of the demonstrations: it has set the bar very high for cruelty and diverted attention from the plight of the Palestinians, whose lives are nothing short of torture.”