SAEDNEWS: European nations, Canada and Japan on Tuesday finally awakened to what they described as “serious concerns” over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom recalled the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip.
They said conditions in Gaza remain appalling and are being further worsened by winter, with around 1.3 million people still in urgent need of shelter assistance.
The ministers referred to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published earlier this month as confirmation that the humanitarian situation remains desperate.
While welcoming the ceasefire in Gaza, the statement stressed that it does not erase the suffering of the civilian population.
The ministers called on Israel to ensure that the United Nations, its partners and non-governmental organizations are able to continue their vital work, and to lift what they described as unreasonable restrictions on imports classified as dual-use goods.
They warned that many long-established international humanitarian organizations face the risk of deregistration under Israel’s new restrictive requirements, which could lead to the forced closure of humanitarian operations within 60 days in Gaza and the West Bank.
“This would have a severe impact on access to essential services, including healthcare,” the statement said.
The ministers emphasized that allowing the UN and its partners to continue their work is essential for the impartial, neutral and independent delivery of aid throughout Gaza.
“This includes UNRWA, which provides essential services such as healthcare and education to millions of Palestinian refugees,” the statement noted.
They also urged Israel to open border crossings and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor, not a ceiling,” the statement said, adding that these targets must be raised to ensure the delivery of supplies at the necessary scale.
The ministers said ongoing Israeli restrictions continue to limit humanitarian assistance in violation of international humanitarian law and hinder repairs needed for recovery and reconstruction.
“We now urge Israel to remove these humanitarian access constraints and to deliver and honour the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” the statement said.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to keep Gaza’s crossings largely closed, blocking the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials and worsening the crisis affecting more than two million people.
Palestinian officials say at least 414 people in Gaza have been killed since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, leaving Gaza largely uninhabitable.
