Financial Times condemns US and EU ‘complicity’ in Gaza ‘catastrophe’

The Financial Times has published a sharply critical piece condemning Israel’s conduct in Gaza and holding the United States and European Union responsible for enabling what it describes as a looming “catastrophe” for the 2.2 million people trapped in the besieged territory.

The article, striking in tone and content for a publication typically associated with centre-right editorial positions and Western policy orthodoxy, lays blame not only on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, but also on Western leaders for their silence and inaction.

“Each new offensive makes it harder not to suspect that the ultimate goal of President Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is to ensure that Gaza becomes uninhabitable and to drive the Palestinians from their land,” the FT writes, referring to Israel’s preparations for a renewed military push that risks escalating into full occupation.

The publication’s editorial – unusual for its directness – warns that the planned Israeli advance, involving more intense bombing and permanent military presence, would lead to the destruction of Gaza’s remaining infrastructure and further endanger the population, already facing famine, disease, and widespread displacement.

With Israel blocking aid deliveries for months and hospitals running out of medicine, the FT characterises the situation as not only a humanitarian disaster but also a political failure by Western powers.

“[The US and EU] should be ashamed of their silence and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity,” the piece declares.

The criticism comes amid growing frustration with what human rights groups and international observers have described as collective punishment and possible war crimes. Yet Western leaders have largely continued to offer Israel diplomatic cover and military assistance, insisting on its right to self-defence while downplaying or deflecting scrutiny of its actions in Gaza.

The FT’s commentary also places responsibility on US President Donald Trump. While briefly championing a ceasefire earlier this year, Mr Trump reportedly backed an Israeli plan to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza and assume US control of the territory – an idea dismissed by international law experts as both unworkable and unlawful.

However, Israeli officials are now acting on this plan, with the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying on Monday: “We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip.”

Mr Netanyahu continues to insist that the only path forward is “total victory” over Hamas, despite offering no long-term political roadmap beyond continued military action.

The escalation comes despite UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Wednesday (yesterday) condemning Israel’s reported plans to forcibly transfer Gaza’s population to a small area in the south of the Strip.

The move fuels concern that “Israel’s actions are aimed at inflicting on Palestinians conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence in Gaza as a group,” he said in a statement.

“There is no reason to believe that doubling down on military strategies, which, for a year and eight months, have not led to a durable resolution, including the release of all hostages, will now succeed,” insisted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, US allies in the Gulf are preparing to welcome Mr Trump with investment pledges and military deals – despite privately expressing concerns over Israel’s conduct. The FT calls on these Arab leaders to pressure the US to halt the offensive and return to negotiations.

The editorial ends with a stark warning: the longer this war continues, the more blame will be shared not only by those perpetrating the violence but also by those who choose silence over accountability.

For a publication like the Financial Times – often viewed as a bellwether for establishment thinking in London, Brussels, and Washington – this represents a notable departure from prior editorial caution, and could signal a broader shift in elite discourse around Israel’s military campaign and Western complicity.