27 Western Nations Urge Israel to Act Immediately to End 'Unimaginable Famine' in Gaza
In a joint statement issued at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the countries held Israeli authorities legally and morally responsible for the severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation. The strongly worded declaration signed by the foreign ministers of the participating nations, along with the EU's foreign policy chief and two other European Commission members urged Israel to take urgent steps to end 'the famine unfolding before our eyes' in Gaza, calling for the opening of all crossings and routes to ensure the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid.
'The famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed to end the hunger,' the statement read, adding: 'We call on the Government of Israel to allow all international aid shipments for NGOs to enter and to refrain from obstructing the work of key humanitarian actors.'
The signatories stressed the need to use all crossings and routes to deliver food, nutritional supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicines, and medical equipment to the besieged enclave. They warned that ongoing restrictions were worsening the crisis and emphasized the urgent need to dramatically increase the scale and scope of humanitarian aid.
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in addition to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and two other European Commission members.
Separately, The Elder a group of global leaders issued their first-ever warning of a looming genocide in Gaza, citing Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid as a driver of famine. Founded in 2007 by former South African President Nelson Mandela, the independent organization released a statement following a visit by its delegation to border crossings with Egypt: 'We express our shock and outrage at Israel's deliberate obstruction of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza,' it said. 'What we saw and heard confirms our personal conviction that Gaza is facing not only an imminent man-made famine but also an imminent genocide.'
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark called on Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza for aid deliveries following her visit to the site. She was joined by former Irish President and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, who said global leaders 'have the power and the legal duty to impose measures to pressure this Israeli government to stop its heinous crimes.'
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