Groups of seven European countries have called for an end to Israeli military attacks and Gaza’s blockade as UN aid chief said time should not be wasted on U.S.-backed alternatives to provide assistance to the Palestinian territory.
In a joint statement late Friday, leaders from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, Spain and Norway said they “will not remain silent in the face of humanitarian disasters that have occurred before stamped Za’s eyes” because the Israeli lockdown has helped people with the two-month lockdown.
"We call on the Government of Israel to immediately revoke its current policies, avoid further military operations and fully lift the blockade to ensure that international humanitarian actors distribute safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip," the statement said.
"More than 50,000 men, women and children have died. Unless immediate action is taken, more people may starve to death in the next few days and weeks," it said.
At the same time, the European Council is an institution dedicated to safeguarding human rights and democracy to safeguard human rights and democracy. He also pointed out that Gaza is in "Intentional hunger" And warned that Israel sows the "next Hamas seed" on the territory, referring to Palestinian armed groups.
“The time has come to make a moral estimate of the treatment of Palestinians – it should have been long overdue,” said Dora Bakoyannis, the Middle East Rapporteur at the European Council meeting.
United Nations Aid Director Tom Fletcher said Europe calls for hours after 160,000 pallet relief and 9,000 trucks are ready to enter Gaza.
"For those who propose alternative ways to distribute aid, we don't waste time. We already have a plan," he said in a statement.
"We have people. We have distribution networks. We have the trust of our local community. We have the aid itself - 160,000 pallets - ready to move. Now."
“We demand rapid, safe and unhindered assistance to civilians in need. Let us work.”
Since March 2, Israel has stopped entering Gaza with food, drugs and all other essentials.
Earlier, the United States and Israel said they were preparing a plan that would allow NGOs to resume aid while putting supplies in the hands of Hamas.
Under a heavily criticized alternative aid program, the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aims to start working in Gaza by the end of May.
Sources familiar with the plan told Reuters it intends to work with private U.S. security and logistics companies to ship aid to a Gaza location to a so-called security hub and then distribute it to the aid group. It is not clear how to fund the foundation.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation also asked Israel to allow humanitarian delivery of the United Nations and the aid group until its infrastructure is fully operational, saying this is crucial to “relieving ongoing humanitarian pressure.”
However, the United Nations said that since the distribution plan is not impartial, neutral or independent, it will be invalid with the Foundation. Israel said the blockade with "military pressure" was intended to force Hamas to release the remaining prisoners.
On Thursday, Hamas senior official Basem Naim reiterated the organization's position that aid entering Gaza is a prerequisite for any armistice negotiations with Israel.
“Access to food, water and medicine is a basic human right, not a subject of negotiation,” he said.