Eurotopics.net

After hours of wrangling, the 27 EU member states have issued a joint declaration calling for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" in the Gaza Strip. The bloc wants to work with partners in the region to protect civilians and ensure access to aid supplies, it said. The declaration reflects some of the EU's weaknesses, commentators note.

Ten days after the first reports on the partial destruction of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the Gaza Strip, it remains unclear how many people died, which projectile triggered the tragedy and, above all, from which side it was fired. But for commentators one thing is clear: the lack of objective coverage immediately after the attack should be a lesson for journalists and the general public.

The anonymous Russian Telegram channel General SVR announced Putin's death on Thursday. The channel, which has around 400,000 followers and claims to be written by Kremlin insiders, has reported in the last few months on the creation of Putin doubles with which the Russian president's entourage want to thwart a transfer of power after his death. The commentators selected by eurotopics consider the news to be fake, but not a trivial matter.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has drawn heavy criticism with a speech on the Middle East conflict. Guterres condemned the attack by the radical Islamic Hamas on Israel as "appalling", but at the same time denounced the "suffocating occupation" of the Palestinian territories. The attacks did not take place in a vacuum, he said. Commentaries reflect both outrage and understanding for his position.

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has been in preparation for two weeks and announced several times, continues to be delayed. France's President Macron has now proposed that the international military coalition against Islamic State, which was founded almost a decade ago, should also fight Hamas. A look at Europe's opinion sections underlines how complex the decision is for Israel.