France, Spain not in favour of suspending aid that benefits Palestinians

The Spanish Acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday that his government opposes the proposed suspension of European Union aid to the Palestinian territories. “This cooperation must continue, we cannot confuse Hamas, which is in the list of EU’s terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian authority or the United Nation’s organisations on the ground,” Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio Cadena SER, reported Reuters, He added that Palestinian territories will likely need more aid in the near future after Hamas’ Saturday attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip. EU foreign ministers will meet to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon. France is not in favour of suspending aid that benefits Palestinians directly in response to a recent outbreak of violence in Israel, the foreign ministry in Paris said on Tuesday. “We are not in favour of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian people, and we made this clear to the European Commission yesterday,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” over the border. Spokesperson Richard Hecht said 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory and no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Hecht said the military struck hundreds of Hamas targets overnight in Gaza’s City Rimal neighborhood, which is home to many of Hamas’ ministries and government buildings, reported The Associated Press. He said residents were being notified over social media before the strikes to evacuate, but did not elaborate further. He suggested that Palestinians should try to leave through the Rafah crossing, though he did not specify where they would go or how they would use the crossing that is periodically closed. With inputs from agencies