Western nations slam Israel's ‘drip feeding of aid' to Gaza as health ministry says 1,000 killed seeking supplies
The Palestinian health ministry did not specify the location of the deaths, but according to the United Nations, most casualties occurred while people were making their way to aid distribution sites operated by the controversial Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operating on May 27.
Palestinian officials and witnesses have said the Israeli military is responsible for most of those deaths.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances, and denied responsibility for other incidents. In late June, the military said it had 'reorganized' the approach routes to aid sites to minimize 'friction with the population,' but the killings have continued.
In their Monday statement, the Western foreign ministers said that 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.'
'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' they said.
The foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom signed the statement, alongside the European Union's commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, 99 people were killed and at least 650 were injured while attempting to get aid in the last 24 hours.
A total of 1,021 people have been killed and 6,511 wounded seeking supplies since late May, the ministry said, adding that the total death toll since the war began is now at 59,029.
Between March 2 and May 21, Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on aid to the Gaza Strip, and UN agencies have since sounded the alarm about growing levels of starvation and malnutrition in the territory.
Aid organizations are still mostly restricted from entering the enclave, with Israel claiming that it is doing this to prevent Hamas from stealing supplies.
The foreign ministers said it was 'horrifying' that so many Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law,' they said.
They urged the Israeli government to immediately lift its restrictions on aid into Gaza and allow humanitarian organizations, including the UN, to carry out work there 'safely and effectively.'
In a post on X, Israel's foreign ministry said that it 'rejects' the statement published by the 25 nations, calling it 'disconnected from reality' and adding that it 'sends the wrong message to Hamas.'
'The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognize Hamas' role and responsibility for the situation. Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides,' the Israeli statement said.
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