EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell believes Israel is actively trying to starve the Palestinian population of Gaza to death and that starvation is being used as a weapon of Israeli warfare.
– This humanitarian crisis … is not a natural disaster, not a flood, not an earthquake, it is man-made, Borrell said during a meeting at UN headquarters in New York.
The EU chief has repeatedly criticised Israel’s actions during the war, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Borrell said he was saddened by the fact that Israel has made it very difficult for other countries to deliver food and other supplies to the people of Gaza during the ongoing invasion, and he made it clear that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of Israel.
Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief for the EU, said that Israel is using starvation as a “war arm” in Gaza by preventing the entry of life-saving aid from the enclave's land crossings.
Borrell added, “When we condemn this happening in Ukraine, we have to use the same words… pic.twitter.com/1Sz4A50huq
– When we look for alternative ways to deliver aid, by sea or by air, we have to remember that we have to do it because the natural way to deliver aid – by road – is closed, artificially closed.
– Hunger is being used as a weapon of war. If we condemn what is happening in Ukraine, we must use the same words about what is happening in Gaza, he continued.
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During Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza, Israeli settlers gathered in a festive-like atmosphere at the border of the bombarded area.
When Norway-based Afghan journalist Yama Wolasmal interviewed them, several expressed their support for a total expulsion of the Palestinian population – and claimed that even children should be considered terrorists and members of Hamas.
– I can see how children are terrorists as well, explains one of the settlers when asked if he considers children innocent in the war.
– I can’t have as next door neighbors Nazis, says another.
– All the children are Hamas and they will be very happy to see all of us burned all over the world and they will destroy the whole world, and the christian world together with that.
Many of the Jewish settlers belong to an ideological movement that, for religious and nationalist reasons, completely rejects the idea of a Palestinian state. Instead, they advocate for full Israeli control over the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – often through violent expulsion of Palestinians.
“A creative solution”
The movement has increased its influence under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule, particularly through his alliance with far-right and deeply religious parties that openly support the settlers’ agenda. In practice, many settlers operate outside the law, and there are recurring reports of violence, harassment, and even murder of Palestinian civilians. Despite extensive international criticism, these abuses rarely lead to legal consequences.
Yama Wolasmal visited settlers near the Gaza border, where several of them described their vision for the future: a Gaza completely without Palestinians. One of the interviewees believes that the Palestinian people as a whole bear responsibility for Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023:
– They are accomplices of the crime, they are supportive of it and they were part of it and we just have to say again it is not going to happen again.
He confirms that the Jewish settler movement wants to take over all of Gaza, but could not answer what should happen to the more than two million Palestinians currently living there:
– Lets find some creative solution. We don’t want them to die, and that’s different from what they want. We want them to be displaced, 100%, so lets work together.
“We want to finish the job”
When the journalist notes that large parts of Gaza are already in ruins, he responds:
– We want to finish the job.
Despite several settlers openly advocating for ethnic cleansing, they claim they are not extreme, and testimonies about attacks on Palestinian families, burned houses, and cars are dismissed as false.
Instead, they describe war and ethnic cleansing as potentially necessary – a path to lasting peace – and point to Germany during World War II as a historical example.
A survey by the American research institute Pew Research Center shows that the world has a predominantly negative attitude toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Swedes are among the most critical in the world – only four other countries have a more negative opinion. A full 75 percent of those surveyed in Sweden say they have a somewhat or very negative image of Israel.
The survey was conducted last spring, and in 20 of the 24 countries surveyed, at least half of adults have a negative attitude toward Israel. In countries such as Australia, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey, the proportion is particularly high, with around 75 percent or more expressing a negative attitude.
Support for Israel is lowest in Turkey, where 93 percent say they have a somewhat or very negative view of the country.
In India, opinions are more evenly divided, with 34 percent having a positive view and 29 percent a negative view. In African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, the trend is different, with about half or more of those surveyed having a positive attitude toward Israel.
Illustration: Pew Research Center
Age and political affiliation influence
Compared to previous surveys, critical attitudes toward Israel have increased in several countries. In the US, the proportion of adults with a negative attitude has risen by 11 percentage points since March 2022. In the UK, the proportion has increased from 44 percent in 2013 to 61 percent this year.
The survey also shows clear differences based on age and political ideology. In high-income countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Poland, South Korea, and the US, younger people are more likely than older people to take a critical view of Israel, and in the US, the age difference is particularly clear.
Politically, people on the left are more likely to have a negative view than those on the right. In Australia, 90 percent of left-wingers have an unfavorable view, compared with 46 percent of right-wingers. In the US, the figures are 74 percent among liberals and 30 percent among conservatives.
Illustration: Pew Research Center
Low confidence in Netanyahu
Confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu is low in most countries surveyed. Except for Kenya and Nigeria, no more than one-third of adults in any country say they have confidence in his handling of international affairs.
In countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey, around 75 percent or more have little or no confidence in him. In several of these countries, a majority completely lack confidence in the corruption-accused prime minister.
Here too, there are differences linked to age and ideology. In Hungary, for example, people over the age of 50 are twice as likely to have confidence in Netanyahu as those between the ages of 18 and 34 (40 percent versus 20 percent).
Illustration: Pew Research Center
Ideologically speaking, right-wingers are more likely to support Netanyahu than left-wingers. In France, 25 percent of right-wingers trust him, compared to 12 percent in the center and 8 percent on the left.
Israelis are not particularly happy with developments either. In Israel, 58 percent of residents believe that their country is not very respected, or not respected at all, internationally, while 39 percent believe that it is.
These views are largely unchanged since last year, although the proportion saying that the country is not respected at all has increased from 15 to 24 percent.
On Sunday night, the sailboat Madleen, with climate alarmist activist Greta Thunberg on board, was boarded by Israeli forces in international waters.
The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. when the boat was on its way to Gaza with supplies. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the ship is now being taken to Israel instead of its original destination, and the passengers are said to be flown back to their home countries soon.
The crew of the Madleen, consisting of twelve people from the left-wing activist group Freedom Flotilla, left Sicily a week ago with Gaza as their destination. Shortly before boarding, at around 1 a.m., they reported that they were “very close” to their destination. Activist Yasemin Acar described how Israeli speedboats surrounded them:
– We suspect that this is psychological warfare and that they have planned this, she said.
The Israeli boats initially withdrew, but two remained nearby with their engines turned off, and shortly thereafter the crew sent an alarm via Telegram:
“The Madleen is under attack in international waters“.
According to Freedom Flotilla, the boat was surrounded by drones that sprayed them with a white chemical substance. They also reported that “communications are blocked and disturbing noises are being played over the radio”. In a later update, a picture was published showing the crew wearing life jackets and holding their hands in the air, with the caption: “The Israeli army has boarded the ship”.
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
“Kidnapped in international waters”
The Freedom Flotilla claims that its crew has been kidnapped by Israeli forces, and Greta Thunberg has also shared a video clip with this message on social media:
– If you are seeing this video, it means we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters, she says in a video clip recorded before the boarding.
SOS! the volunteers on ‘Madleen’ have been kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish citizen.
Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) June 9, 2025
She urged her followers to put pressure on the Swedish government to secure her release.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has not explicitly confirmed that it boarded the boats, but wrote on X that “The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are safe and were provided with sandwiches and water, and are expected to return to their home countries“.
The ministry accused the activists of seeking publicity and added that “there are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip – they do not involve provocations and selfies”.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is “closely monitoring the situation“
Another post showed a picture of a soldier handing a plastic-wrapped sandwich to Greta Thunberg, with the caption “Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits“.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the crew will be shown videos of Hamas attacks on October 7 before they are released. He also claims that Thunberg is an anti-Semite who supports Hamas.
– It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the situation. In an email to the state television channel SVT, the Ministry wrote:
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Tel Aviv are in contact with local authorities and are closely monitoring the situation. Should consular assistance be required, the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help Greta Thunberg resolve her situation”.
Support for Israel is collapsing in Western Europe. A new poll shows record low confidence and growing anger over the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
After the ceasefire in Gaza collapsed, Israel announced plans to take control of three-quarters of the Palestinian territory in the coming months. Recently, more and more voices have also warned that what is happening is genocide, and that the Israeli plans aim to completely and permanently empty Gaza of Palestinians – so that they can then take control of the area themselves.
At the same time, a new survey by YouGov EuroTrack shows that support for Israel in Western Europe has fallen to record lows since the ground invasion and bombing of Gaza began.
The survey, which covers the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, shows a sharp decline in public opinion toward Israel. Net favorability – the difference between positive and negative ratings – has reached its lowest level since the survey began:
• Germany: -44
• France: -48
• Denmark: -54
Western Europeans’ sympathy for Israel is rapidly declining. Photo: facsimile/Yougov
In Italy (-52) and Spain (-55), the figures are also at record lows or shared lowest levels compared with previous surveys. Only 13–21 percent of respondents in any of the countries have a positive view of Israel, while 63–70 percent express a negative opinion.
Few Western Europeans support Israel’s actions
Support for Israel’s invasion of Gaza is weak. Only 6–16 percent of respondents in the six countries believe that “Israel were right to send troops into Gaza and have generally responded in a proportionate way to the Hamas attacks”. This represents a marginal decline compared with the corresponding survey in October last year.
A minority believe that Israel’s response has been proportionate. Photo: facsimile/Yougov
The perception that Israel’s attacks were justified has also weakened:
• France, Germany, Denmark: 24–25 percent still believe that Israel’s actions are justified.
• United Kingdom: 18 percent
• Italy: 9 percent (lowest)
At the same time, only 5–9 percent believe that Hamas’s initial attacks in late 2023 were justified.
Sympathies shift toward Palestine
Support for Israel has declined significantly. Only 7–18 percent today say they sympathize most with the Israeli side—the lowest or joint lowest rating in five of six countries since the Hamas attacks.
In contrast, between 18 and 33 percent sympathize more with the Palestinian side. In otherwise very pro-Israel Germany, support for each side is now almost evenly divided: 17 percent for Israel, 18 percent for Palestine.
Today, significantly more Europeans sympathize with the Palestinians. Photo: facsimile/Yougov
Confidence in lasting peace in the Middle East is also low among Europeans. Only 15–29 percent believe that both sides will be able to put their differences aside within the next decade.
The French are the most optimistic, with 29 percent believing in a peaceful solution, while the Danes are the most pessimistic, with only 15 percent. Belief in peace has declined by 4–10 percentage points in all countries.
According to analysts, the survey clearly shows how public opinion in Western Europe has shifted since the Hamas attacks in October 2023.
Criticism of Israel’s abuses and war crimes in Gaza is growing rapidly in many countries, while sympathy for Israel appears to be declining as more and more abuses and cases of gross violence against civilians come to light.
