In a disturbing escalation of genocidal rhetoric, an Israeli settler residing in the illegal Shiloh settlement in the occupied West Bank openly called for the total eradication of Palestinians in Gaza, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

According to the Israeli daily, Rivka Lafair, who describes herself as a “proud Jew” and someone who “thinks outside the box,” publicly declared her intent to “wipe Palestinians in Gaza from existence,” claiming such an outcome is part of a broader goal of “consciousness transformation” and a “necessary epistemic shift.”

Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using a ceasefire and hostage swap Israeli delegation in Doha to mislead the international community, saying the team lacks the authority to make binding decisions.

“We consider the continued presence of the Zionist delegation in Doha -- despite its clear lack of authority to reach an agreement — a blatant attempt by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to deceive global public opinion and falsely portray participation in a negotiation process,” it said in a statement.

The prolonged stay of the delegation, without engaging in serious talks since Saturday, is a “blatant attempt by Netanyahu to deceive global public opinion and to falsely portray participation in negotiations.”

Hamas accused the prime minister of extending the delegation’s presence “day by day without entering serious talks.”

Israel continued to besiege two western towns in Salfit in the northern West Bank for a seventh consecutive day.

Palestinians told Anadolu that the army and the illegal settlers have been imposing “collective punishment” on Bruqin and Kafr al-Dik in Salfit since an attack killed an illegal Israeli settler last week.

The army has intensified home demolitions and field interrogations of Palestinians in the towns, under the pretext of searching for the assailant.

Several Palestinians, including one critically injured, were wounded when illegal Israeli settlers attacked Beitillu in northwest Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

The local Voice of Palestine Radio reported that several Palestinians sustained injuries, one seriously, in the illegal settler assault on Beitillu, without providing details on the number or nature of the injuries.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that Israel’s military offensive in Gaza “makes no sense, unless it wants to turn Gaza into a vast cemetery.”

“The time for words and statements is over – what is happening in Gaza is too serious,” he told reporters in Brussels, where he attended a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the government's announcement to suspend trade talks with the Israeli government over the ongoing "intolerable" situation in Gaza.

"This is a necessary and overdue response to the grave and ongoing violations of international law in Gaza," Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, the group’s assistant secretary-general, said in a statement.

Pakistan and Egypt discussed developments in the Middle East, particularly the "alarming" situation in Gaza, where Israel has renewed its offensive, and urged the international community to ensure "consistent and timely delivery of badly needed" humanitarian assistance to the people of the besieged enclave.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi, hoped that the upcoming UN conference on two-state solution next month in New York would yield "meaningful outcomes," his office.

Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman was met with raucous jeers from students disgruntled with her handling of pro-Palestine protests and the Trump administration's attempts to deport a prominent student activist.

"Good morning class of 2025. I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me, and I know you feel it with the administration," she said as a chorus of boos and jeers, which had already forced her to restart her comments at Columbia College’s commencement ceremony, poured out from students. "And I know we have a strong, strong tradition of free speech at this university, and I am always open to feedback, which I am getting right now."

The rallying cry is a reference to Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student activist and lawful permanent resident of the US, who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for his role in last year's student protest movement against Israel's war on Gaza.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called on the EU to take concrete action against Israel over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing the situation as "unsustainable, unbearable," and "inhuman."

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Albares said the bloc must use "all instruments at its disposal" to exert maximum diplomatic pressure on Israel, Spanish daily El Pais newspaper reported.