In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the 25 European Union countries called for an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip and criticized Israel's handling of humanitarian aid to the isolated territory. "The war in Gaza must end now," the statement said. "Further bloodshed serves no purpose." The hostages still being held in Gaza must be released immediately. The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the statement as "detached from reality."
"We condemn the drop-off of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, who are seeking to meet their most basic needs for water and food. It is appalling that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking assistance," the statement said, A2 CNN writes.
The statement would send a "wrong signal" to Islamist Hamas, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. The terrorist organization started the war and is "solely" responsible for the fact that, despite ongoing talks, there has still not been a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
The declaration was signed, among others, by the foreign ministers of Italy, France, Austria, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Canada, as well as the EU Commissioner for Gender Equality and Crisis Management. Germany is not among the signatories.
The WHO chief added that the UN aid agency's other camps are also located in the Israeli-designated fighting zone and are therefore no longer operational. "This limits our ability to operate in Gaza and brings the health system in Gaza closer to collapse." The Israeli military did not initially comment on the incident, writes A2 CNN.
The highly controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is responsible for distributing food to large parts of the Gaza Strip. Israel claims it introduced the new distribution mechanism to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. There have been repeated reports of fatal incidents near GHF distribution points. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Phillipe Lazarrini, described the foundation's distribution centers as "sadistic death traps." (A2 Televizion)
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