Germany, France, UK say Israel's Gaza aid blockade 'must end'
BERLIN
Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death."
"This must end," their foreign ministers said in a joint statement. "We urge Israel to immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians."
After 18 months of devastating war and an Israeli blockade on aid since March 2, the U.N. has warned of a dire humanitarian situation for the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.
Israel has accused Palestinian group Hamas of diverting aid, which it denies.
The heads of 12 major aid organisations warned last week that "famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts" of the coastal territory.
"The Israeli decision to block aid from entering Gaza is intolerable," the three ministers said on Wednesday.
They also criticised Defense Minister Israel Katz for "recent comments politicising humanitarian aid" and described Israeli plans to remain in Gaza after the war as "unacceptable."
"Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change," they said.
Katz last week said Israel would continue preventing aid from entering Gaza, calling the blockade "one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using [aid] as a tool with the population."
The foreign ministers also expressed "outrage at recent strikes by Israeli forces on humanitarian personnel, infrastructure, premises and healthcare facilities" in Gaza.
"Israel must do much more to protect the civilian population, infrastructure and humanitarian workers," they said.
Meanwhile, the U.N. appointed an envoy to complete a "strategic assessment" of the agency charged with aiding Palestinians, a spokesman said on April 22.
U.N. chief Antonio Guterres appointed Ian Martin of the United Kingdom to review the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, to gauge the "political, financial, security" constraints the agency faces.
The organization, broadly considered to be the backbone of humanitarian aid delivery for embattled Palestinians, has withstood a barrage of criticism and accusations from Israel since Hamas's deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack inside Israel and the devastating war in Gaza that followed.
Israel cut all contact with UNRWA at the end of January, and has accused 19 of its 13,000 employees in Gaza of being directly involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
"We're trying to see how in this very complex environment, UNRWA can best deliver for the Palestine refugees it serves. For the communities it serves, they deserve to be assisted by an organization, by an UNRWA that can work in the best possible manner," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The review is being carried out as part of the UN80 initiative launched last month to address chronic financial difficulties, which are being exacerbated by U.S. budget cuts to international aid programs.
Not all agencies will undergo a strategic assessment, but UNRWA's operations in Gaza are unique, Dujarric said.
"We will not question UNRWA's mandate. We will see how UNRWA can better operate and better serve the communities that rely on" it, Dujarric added.
