UK, France, Germany say Gaza 'humanitarian catastrophe must end now'
"We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the U.N. 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 it is responsible for the deepening crisis in Gaza, which the World Health Organization 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 U.N.-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 cease-fire."
"We stand ready to take further action to support an immediate cease-fire 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.
Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the conflict with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has so far killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
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The Israeli leaders furiously denied their large-scale assault on Gaza in the wake of the Hamas's unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel broke international law. But the humanitarian situation inside Gaza has since deteriorated further and on March 2 Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza after ceasefire talks broke down. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation". In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to resume, but U.N. and humanitarian agencies accuse the army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. Before Israel announced the airborne delivery of seven pallets of food, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. On Saturday alone, the Palestinian civil defence agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres. 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Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
