STRASBOURG, France: The European Commission president said Wednesday she would seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza, an announcement that marked a sharp turnaround for Ursula von der Leyen, a longtime supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it’s unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.
Von der Leyen added that the commission “will set up a Palestine donor group next month,” part of which will focus on Gaza’s future reconstruction. She said the events in Gaza and the suffering of children and families “has shaken the conscience of the world.”
The Gaza Health Ministry says 126 Palestinians, including 26 children, have died of causes related to malnutrition since international experts announced famine in Gaza City on Aug. 22.
“Man-made famine can never be a weapon of war. For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity. This must stop,” Von der Leyen said Wednesday, to applause in the European Parliament at its meeting in Strasbourg, France.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a social media post, said Von der Leyen had succumbed to pressures that undermine Israel-Europe relations. He said her actions will embolden Hamas.
Warning Gaza City residents to evacuate
Von der Leyen’s comments followed Israel’s military warning on Tuesday to Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of its plans to take control of what it portrays as Hamas’ last remaining stronghold and where hundreds of thousands of people remain under conditions of famine.
An estimated 1 million Palestinians — around half of Gaza’s overall population — live in the area of north Gaza around Gaza City, according to the Israeli military and the United Nations. Many are exhausted from moving multiple times and unsure if traveling south will be safer.
The warnings directed at Gaza City — the first calling for its full evacuation — came before an Israeli strike on Tuesday targeting Hamas’ leaders in Qatar, where negotiations over ending the war in Gaza appeared to be at a standstill.
The strike on the territory of a U.S. ally drew widespread condemnation from countries in the Mideast and beyond. It also marked a dramatic escalation in the region and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas claims its senior leadership survived the strike.
EU Commission plans to freeze Israel support
Von der Leyen also said she plans to freeze support to Israel given by the European Union’s executive branch, which would not require the approval of the 27 member countries.
It was not immediately clear how much financial support the executive branch, known as the European Commission, provides to Israel and what it is used for.
“We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold. We will stop all payments in these areas, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem,” the Holocaust memorial, von der Leyen told EU lawmakers.
The commission also gives support to the Palestinian Authority.
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EU commission president seeks sanctions, partial trade suspension against Israel over war in Gaza
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EU commission president seeks sanctions, partial trade suspension against Israel over war in Gaza
- The European Commission president says she plans to seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza
- Von der Leyen added that the commission “will set up a Palestine donor group next month,” part of which will focus on Gaza’s future reconstruction
Bangladesh police deploy to guard ‘risky’ polling centers
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s police chief said Tuesday that more than 150,000 officers will be deployed for this week’s elections, warning that more than half of polling stations were flagged as vulnerable to violence.
Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period from December 11 to February 9.
More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday’s vote — the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
“We are 1,000 percent confident about doing our part,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka.
The country of 170 million has remained in political turmoil since the uprising against Hasina, when police carried out a deadly crackdown during her failed bid to cling to power.
Alam said police had assessed that “more than 24,000 polling centers have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky” for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing — more than half of the 42,000 centers nationwide.
“The location of some centers is very remote, and there is intense competition, and hostility among candidates and their supporters,” he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered.
“In high-risk and moderately risky centers, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time.”
Rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killed and more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) raised concerns over the law-and-order situation, accusing parties of forming “mobs” and setting up roadblocks.
Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained.
“It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police,” he said. “Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered — in fact, for the last 150 years, our predecessors mostly beat people.”
Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period from December 11 to February 9.
More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday’s vote — the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
“We are 1,000 percent confident about doing our part,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka.
The country of 170 million has remained in political turmoil since the uprising against Hasina, when police carried out a deadly crackdown during her failed bid to cling to power.
Alam said police had assessed that “more than 24,000 polling centers have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky” for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing — more than half of the 42,000 centers nationwide.
“The location of some centers is very remote, and there is intense competition, and hostility among candidates and their supporters,” he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered.
“In high-risk and moderately risky centers, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time.”
Rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killed and more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) raised concerns over the law-and-order situation, accusing parties of forming “mobs” and setting up roadblocks.
Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained.
“It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police,” he said. “Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered — in fact, for the last 150 years, our predecessors mostly beat people.”
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