Situation in Gaza prompts this country to ban Israeli officials | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

With the war between Israel and Gaza nearing its second year and having no end in sight, multiple nations are taking a stronger stance against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his minister’s actions in the region.

The military activities that began after the October 2023 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas resulted in the death of over 50,000 Palestinians and a blockade of the Gaza Strip that is leading to an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

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The U.N. World Food Programme states that approximately one-third of the 2.1 million people living in Gaza have spent multiple days without eating over the last month, while the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued a July 29 warning that “widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths.”

On July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the state of Palestine. This marks a major change in policy and makes France the first G7 nation to do so.

Dutch government to ban two Israeli government ministers over ‘intolerable and indefensible’ situation

On July 29, the government of the Netherlands followed France’s action by announcing its intent to impose a travel ban against two Israeli ministers over what it classifies as an “intolerable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are two far-right politicians holding key positions in Netanyahu’s cabinet.

“They have repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip,” the letter that Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp sent to lawmakers reads (translated from Dutch, as reported by local news outlets).

The letter further expresses intent to demand that the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands “immediately take measures that lead to a substantial and rapid improvement in the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip.”

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This, in theory, means that all of 125 of its member countries could be obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he arrives on their territory.

Palestinians gather to receive hot meals. Residents are struggling to access food due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and attacks in Gaza City.

Image source&colon; Anadolu/Getty Images

Travel ban latest move in sanctions against far-right Israeli government officials

In response to the ICC’s arrest warrant, the Israeli head of state is believed to have purposefully avoided these countries and went through Budapest on his way to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington at the start of July.

“Israel believed that countries like Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands could have acted to enforce the warrant,” Israeli news outlet Haaretz reported.

More on travel:

The travel ban against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich is not an arrest warrant, but it prevents them from entering the Netherlands for any reason.

Slovenia imposed a similar travel ban against the two ministers earlier in the month, while Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia all imposed financial sanctions over calls for continued escalation even as the humanitarian situation worsened.

In response to local outlets, Ben-Gvir responded to the Dutch travel ban, saying that he would “continue to act” while Smotrich accused European politicians of falling prey to the “lies of radical Islam.”