Foreign ministers from Britain, France, Australia, and 21 other countries demanded on Tuesday that Israel allows humanitarian aid unobstructed into the Gaza Strip, stressing that the humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached what they called "unimaginable levels."
In an online statement co-signed by senior European Union (EU) officials, the ministers stated: "Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised" in the context of Gaza.
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EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
They warned of famine in the enclave, saying: "Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation."
The ministers urged the Israeli government to authorize all international non-governmental organization aid shipments and to allow essential humanitarian actors to operate in the embattled enclave. "All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine, and medical equipment," the statement said.
The appeal comes as Gaza is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has worsened since March, when Israeli authorities closed all crossings into the Strip.
Signatories of the statement include the foreign ministers of Britain, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. EU officials who signed included Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Dubravka Suica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean and Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the statement and called on all the countries, international and regional alliances as well as the United Nations to turn the international consensus into concrete steps to bind Israel, forcing it to stop crimes against Palestinian civilians.
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
EU senior officials and 24 FMs pledge urgent action to stop starvation in Gaza
