The European Union, Britain and Japan on Tuesday called for urgent action to stop “famine” in the Gaza Strip.
“The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes,” a joint statement signed by the EU’s top diplomat and foreign ministers from 24 countries, including Canada and Australia.
“Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,” they said.
UN-mandated experts have warned that Gaza is slipping into famine while international organisations have for months condemned the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on aid distribution in Gaza.
The ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also demanded Israel “provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating”.
Seventeen European Union countries signed the statement, including France, the Netherlands and usually pro-Palestinian countries such as Ireland and Spain.
Notably absent was Germany, Israel’s staunch supporter in the EU, despite its drastic move to halt the export of military equipment to Israel last week.
Israel has until recently enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum in Germany, a country still seeking to atone for the World War II murder of more than six million Jews.
The EU struck a deal last month to increase aid access to Gaza but senior officials have said the agreement has not been implemented fully.
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© Agence France-Presse
