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Four leading news organizations said Thursday their journalists in Gaza are facing the threat of starvation as the Israeli assault on Gaza grinds on, while top US envoy Steve Witkoff was to meet with key negotiators from the Middle East for talks on the latest ceasefire proposal and the release of hostages.
“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” said a joint statement by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the BBC. “For many months, these independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”
The statement called on Israel to allow journalists in and out of Gaza and allow adequate food supplies into the territory.
The statement came a day after more than 100 charity and human rights groups said that Israel’s blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation.
Also Thursday, Hamas confirmed it had sent its latest ceasefire proposal to Israel, with an Israeli official calling it “workable,” although no details were provided. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record.
Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children.

LONDON: Italian celebrity chef Rubio, born Gabriele Rubini, has been questioned by Italy’s antiterrorism police and had his electronic devices seized over a series of social media posts critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A vocal pro-Palestine activist, Rubio was briefly detained and interrogated last week by Digos — Italy’s antiterrorism division — on charges of inciting racial hatred, according to his friend and journalist Alberto Fazolo, who shared details of the case on Monday.

Fazolo said Rubio’s X account posts triggered the investigation, describing it as a “blitz” aimed at obtaining data from his online activity, an operation usually carried out by a different police unit.

“Death to diplomats complicit in the genocide that has been ongoing for 77 years, death to colonialism, supremacism, racism, and anti-Muslim hatred. Death therefore to Zionism and the Jewish colony. Long live Palestine and the native Palestinian Semites,” one of them read.

Fazolo said Rubio remains free but has lost access to his social media accounts and private messages during the investigation.

Authorities are reportedly reviewing his Telegram and Signal chats as part of the probe. His accounts remain publicly visible, but he is unable to use them.

“Gabriele is free, he is keen to assure you that he is well,” Fazolo said. “But for a while he will not have the opportunity to communicate through his channels or contact details.”

Rubio has long been a controversial figure in Italy due to his outspoken criticism of Israeli policy and strong support for the Palestinian cause. Pro-Israeli groups have previously accused him of antisemitism, which Rubio denies.

Earlier this year, he drew fresh backlash after urging his followers to submit war crimes complaints against Israeli Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who was visiting Rome at the time.

In May 2024, Rubio was violently assaulted outside his home by six unidentified attackers armed with bricks and hammers, an attack his supporters linked to his activism.

Fazolo said Rubio has “been persecuted for years” due to his efforts to raise awareness about what he calls the “ethnic cleansing of Palestine.”