Dujarric: Israeli strike hit UN school in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike targeted a school building in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, which was being used as a shelter for displaced families, causing damage to the building but no injuries were reported, the United Nations said.
UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric's spokesman said on Monday (June 1st) that the roof of the school had been directly hit, adding: "Fortunately, we have not received any reports of injuries."
In a related context, Dujarric reviewed the reports of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noting that a Palestinian was killed yesterday by the Israeli army while trying to cross the security fence in the eastern West Bank to reach East Jerusalem in search of work.
He explained that this incident comes as part of a series of developments following the revocation of most work permits for Palestinians since October 2023, as the United Nations documented from that date until May 11 that 17 Palestinians were killed and 290 others were injured while trying to cross the wall.
The bill to restrict the call to prayer. "A declaration of religious war"
Palestinian Justice and Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations, Mahmoud al-Habbash, said that the Israeli bill aimed at restricting the call to prayer represents "a declaration of religious war on Islamic holy sites" and a direct attack on freedom of worship.
Habbash's statement came in a statement after Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs approved a bill submitted by the Jewish Power party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to impose strict restrictions on the use of loudspeakers in mosques in Jerusalem and the 1948 territories.
Severe restrictions, fines and confiscation of loudspeakers
The draft law prohibits the installation or operation of any sound system in mosques without prior authorization, but consideration should be given to granting a license based on what Israel describes as "noise intensity" and the mosque's proximity to residential areas.
In the event of a violation, the bill allows the police to immediately stop the call to prayer, confiscate loudspeakers and impose fines.
Al-Habbash stressed that the call to prayer is "a great Islamic ritual and a call of faith that resonates with the unity of God," and that violating it reflects "extremism and hatred" in Israeli policies towards the Palestinians and their Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Attempts to restrict the call to prayer "will not succeed in obliterating the religious and national identity of the Palestinian people," he said, stressing that "the call to prayer will continue to be heard in the skies of Palestine."
Al-Habbash considered that the targeting of mosques and their rituals constitutes "a flagrant violation of freedom of worship and religious rights guaranteed by international laws", stressing that Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque "will remain a title of Islamic and Arab rights".
Possible European sanctions on Israeli ministers
Politico revealed that the European Union is considering, in the coming days, imposing sanctions on Israeli government officials, in a move described as unprecedented, against the backdrop of accusations related to violations against foreign activists who were aboard the "Steadfastness Flotilla" that Israel intercepted in international waters while trying to break the blockade of Gaza.
According to the website, based on a draft European document, the ambassadors of the 27 countries will discuss the proposal on Wednesday, in preparation for presenting it to EU leaders during their meeting scheduled for June 18 and 19.
The draft indicates that the proposals include imposing restrictive measures on Israeli ministers accused of inciting or supporting human rights violations, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in light of European calls to take steps against him because of his statements and policies towards Palestinian activists and prisoners.
Division within the European Union
The document includes a condemnation of what it described as the "ill-treatment of detainees" after the flotilla objected, with the option of adding ministers to the sanctions list.
Despite the political momentum behind the proposal, its passage faces a major obstacle in the need for it to obtain the consensus of member states. The Czech Republic has announced its intention to oppose sanctions on Israeli ministers, which could limit the chances of passage of the move.
These developments come in light of the deterioration of relations between the European Union and Israel against the backdrop of the war on Gaza and human rights files, amid internal European debates about the nature of the appropriate political response.