Joining the Wave? Italian PM Spoke with Abu Mazen

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke this evening with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and harshly condemned the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and Israeli plans to continue fighting.

Meloni specifically addressed the "takeover plan" that Israel is formulating for occupying the Strip, and expressed decisive opposition to the move. She noted that the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza is "unjustifiable and unacceptable" and emphasized the need to find a solution that would prevent the continued "suffering of civilians."

Meloni's statement joins a series of condemnations from European leaders in recent weeks, who are criticizing Israel's policy and warning against its political and international implications. Her conversation with Abu Mazen could be interpreted as part of a growing trend of diplomatic pressure on Jerusalem, from the Italian right-wing leader.

This is despite Meloni's disagreement with fully recognizing a Palestinian state, as a number of Western countries have done recently.

Australia, France, Britain and others have declared their intention to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state following a massive campaign by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States and a Hamas-driven media campaign claiming a famine in the Gaza Strip, omitting the reality of nearly 90% of aid trucks being stolen by Hamas itself or Gazan civilians.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Katz is set to meet with IDF senior command to discuss detailed plans to take Gaza City from remaining Hamas forces, ideally within a few weeks rather than a few months as the IDF originally suggested they'd need. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said at a situational assessment conducted today that the IDF can take Gaza City just as it took Rafah in 2024.