European leaders urge Israel to end attacks in Gaza amid mounting humanitarian crisis

Brussels:  As Israel intensifies its military operations in the Gaza Strip, a growing number of European leaders have voiced deep concern over the worsening humanitarian situation, urging Israel to “reverse its current policy” and calling for urgent humanitarian intervention.

On Saturday, European Council President Antonio Costa expressed his dismay on social media, stating he was “shocked” by the developments in Gaza and demanding an end to the violence. He urged the Israeli government to lift the blockade and ensure safe, swift, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, Xinhua news agency reported.

“What’s happening in Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy. A whole people is being subjected to crushing, disproportionate military force. International law is systematically violated,” Costa said. He emphasised the urgency of a sustained ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain made a similar stance in a joint statement issued on Friday. “We will not be silent in front of the man-made humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place before our eyes in Gaza,” the statement read.

Highlighting that more than 50,000 people have died, the countries warned that many more could face starvation in the coming days and weeks without urgent intervention. They called on the Israeli government to “immediately reverse its current policy,” fully lift the blockade, and allow rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access across Gaza.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, pledging to work within the framework of the United Nations and in cooperation with regional partners to pursue a peaceful and sustainable resolution.

Speaking at the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for international pressure to stop what he termed Israel’s “massacre in Gaza.” He said Madrid plans a UN resolution requesting a world court ruling on aid access to Gaza.

World leaders should “intensify our pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza, particularly through the channels afforded to us by international law,” Sanchez said, emphasising that the implementation of the two-state solution is the only path to peace.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also criticized Israel’s action. On Saturday, he reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to a ceasefire and a two-state solution. “It is time to finally get to the ceasefire because the civilian population is exhausted, it can no longer resist continuous attacks,” he added.

Last week, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp stated that Israeli forces had seriously violated the European Union (EU)-Israel Association Agreement signed in 2000. He called on the EU to launch an investigation into Israel’s compliance with the agreement as part of a broader review of EU-Israel relations.

EU foreign ministers are set to meet on May 20 to discuss the Dutch proposal to review the agreement in light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The Israeli military announced on Friday that it had stepped up its operations in Gaza, launching a wave of airstrikes and deploying additional ground forces to assert operational control in parts of the enclave.

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 3,131 Palestinians have been killed and 8,632 injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 53,272, with 120,673 people injured, according to health authorities in Gaza.

According to Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who also urged a “rapid, safe, unimpeded aid delivery for civilians in need” in Gaza, some 160,000 pallets of humanitarian goods were ready for distribution in Gaza, however, alongside the military escalation, Israel has blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

–IANS