UK, France, Germany say 'Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe must end now'
BERLIN (AFP) The leaders of Britain, France and Germany said Friday the "humanitarian catastrophe" in the Gaza Strip must end now, as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory faces a deepening crisis. "We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their work to take action against starvation," they said in a joint statement released by Berlin.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that "the most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay". "Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable," they said."Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law."More than 100 aid and human rights groups warned this week that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza after more than 21 months of war. Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for the deepening crisis in Gaza, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called "man-made".Israel placed the Gaza Strip under an aid blockade in March, which it only partially eased two months later while sidelining the longstanding UN-led distribution system.The European leaders also stressed that "the time has come to end the war in Gaza. "We urge all parties to bring an end to the conflict by reaching an immediate ceasefire.""We stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region," they said.
Starmer had earlier said he would hold an "emergency call" on Gaza on Friday with Macron and Merz.
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