Representatives from 26 Western nations and the European Commission are urging Israel to permit aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, devastated by Israel's genocidal attacks and blockade.
"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," read a joint statement by three EU Commissioners – including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas – as well as the foreign ministers of most EU countries and Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the U.K.
Germany, an avid supporter of Israel, despite its genocide in Gaza, did not sign the statement.
"The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the statement added.
The statement also called on the government of Israel to provide authorization for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating.
More than five months of a strict Israeli blockade have plunged Gaza into an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, with border crossings sealed and critical supplies, including infant formula, food, and medicine, blocked for over two million residents.
The blockade has left 40,000 babies and 60,000 pregnant women vulnerable.
Aid trucks that do manage to reach Gaza are frequently attacked or looted, turning humanitarian relief into “chaos and plunder.”
Despite growing international condemnation, Israel allows limited humanitarian aid by air and land, but most airdrops land in zones controlled by Israeli forces, often targeting Palestinians, rendering the aid ineffective and endangering lives.
