Diplomats from the European Union, numbering 26, appeal to Israel to grant non-governmental organizations access to the Gaza Strip
The international community is calling on Israel to immediately lift the blockade on Gaza, as the region faces a critical humanitarian situation. The situation in Gaza is so dire that famine is unfolding before our eyes, and urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation, according to a joint statement signed by representatives from 26 Western nations and the European Commission.
The blockade, which has been in place for over five months, has severely restricted the entry of essential aid, including food, medicine, and fuel. This has led to widespread starvation, malnutrition, and a collapse of health and social services in Gaza.
Aid trucks that do reach Gaza are frequently attacked or looted, causing chaos and plunder. Even when aid does make it through, it often ends up in zones controlled by Israeli forces, making it ineffective and potentially endangering lives.
The blockade has left 40,000 babies and 60,000 pregnant women vulnerable. Since early 2025, the blockade has prevented virtually all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for extended periods, causing malnutrition deaths to climb sharply—nearly 100 children dying from starvation since August alone.
The joint statement urges Israel to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating in the Gaza Strip and to provide authorization for all international NGO aid shipments. It also calls for the use of all crossings and routes to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine, and medical equipment.
The United Nations Security Council has convened emergency sessions to address the blockade’s impact, calling on Israel to facilitate aid delivery in accordance with international humanitarian law to prevent widespread starvation and further civilian suffering. Amnesty International and other human rights bodies emphasize that only lifting the blockade and halting military operations can reverse the devastating consequences and prevent ongoing mass forced displacement and deaths.
Notably, Germany, despite being an avid supporter of Israel, did not sign the statement. The Israeli government has allowed limited humanitarian aid by air and land, but the partial and insufficient openings of crossings and symbolic airdrops have failed to meet the urgent needs of Gaza’s population, which is almost entirely reliant on external aid amid the destruction of local infrastructure and economic collapse.
In summary, the blockade’s tight restrictions on aid delivery are central to the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, prompting urgent international calls for Israel to ease or end the blockade and allow full humanitarian relief to reach the civilian population. The statement was signed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, foreign ministers of most EU countries, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the U.K. The international community is hopeful that Israel will heed these calls and take immediate action to alleviate the crisis in Gaza.
[1] Human Rights Watch. (2025). Israel/Palestine: Gaza Under Siege. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/10/israel/palestine-gaza-under-siege
[2] Amnesty International. (2025). Israel/Palestine: Gaza: A Man-Made Disaster. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/09/israel-palestine-gaza-man-made-disaster/
[3] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2025). Gaza Humanitarian Update. [online] Available at: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/gaza-humanitarian-update
[4] Al Jazeera. (2025). Gaza crisis: Aid agencies warn of catastrophic consequences. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/09/10/gaza-crisis-aid-agencies-warn-of-catastrophic-consequences
[5] BBC News. (2025). Gaza crisis: UN calls for urgent action to avert 'catastrophe'. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-58338741
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