Foreign diplomats, including those from the EU, and 26 foreign ministers urge for non-governmental organizations (NGO) to be granted access to Gaza
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to escalate, with severe constraints on access and distribution leading to widespread hunger and suffering among the population.
In a joint declaration, EU officials, including Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas, along with the Foreign Ministers of most EU countries, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, have called for immediate action to address the situation.
The declaration states that the specter of famine is spreading in Gaza, and urgent action is needed to stop it. It demands that all border crossings and routes be utilized to enable a flood of humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has claimed that Israel has "inundated" the coastal region with aid. Yet, the declaration points out that items required for aid, such as food, shelter, fuel, clean water, and medicine, are not reaching the people who need them most.
Between 20 July and 3 August, approximately 12,000 metric tons of food items were brought into Gaza through crossings, but over 90% were looted or seized by armed groups along the delivery routes. As a result, only about 259,000 meals were prepared daily by partners in Gaza, a 74% decrease from over one million meals per day in April.
The declaration also calls for the protection of civilians and aid workers at distribution points. Since 27 May, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed trying to reach food supplies at militarized distribution sites or convoys; thousands more have been injured. Most killings were by Israeli military forces, with UN human rights bodies noting victims were not engaged in hostilities.
Israel has threatened to ban major international NGOs operating in Gaza and introduced new registration measures seen as undermining humanitarian operations and the UN-led coordination mechanism. Despite Israel's denials of restricting aid amounts, aid delivery continues to face severe impediments.
UN experts have emphasized the necessity for Israel to restore unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access, particularly through UNRWA and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to prevent starvation—a condition affecting over 500,000 people in Gaza, including all young children under five at risk of acute malnutrition.
The representatives in the joint declaration have urged the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and humanitarian actors to be granted immediate and permanent access to the Palestinian territory in Gaza. They are pressing Israel to allow aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip to prevent the impending famine and ensure equitable aid access free from violence and political interference.
- Despite Israel's claims of providing aid, the declaration highlights that essential items such as food, shelter, fuel, clean water, and medicine are not reaching the population in Gaza, necessitating urgent action from the international community.
- The joint declaration by various international officials urges Israel to remove obstacles and allow aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the need for unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access to prevent the impending famine and ensure equitable aid access free from violence and political interference.
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