Israel not yet fully implementing Gaza aid agreement, EU says
'We have (seen) some positive developments. It's true that we have trucks that are able to enter, but we don't know exactly how many. And what is clear is that the agreement is not fully implemented,' she told reporters ahead of a meeting EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Divided EU weighs action against Israel over Gaza war
BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers on Tuesday discussed options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza — but looked unlikely to agree on any. The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel. Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move. 'I can't predict how the discussion will go,' Kallas said, ahead of the foreign ministers' talks in Brussels. She said the main focus would likely be on how the EU could leverage improvements to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That comes after Kallas on Thursday announced a deal with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, to open more entry points and allow in more food. Gaza's two million residents face dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'We see some positive signs when it comes to border crossings open, we see some positive signs of them reconstructing the electricity lines, providing water, also more trucks of humanitarian aid coming in,' Kallas said Monday. But she said the situation in Gaza remained 'catastrophic.' 'Of course, we need to see more in order to see real improvement for the people on the ground,' she said. Saar, speaking at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, was confident Israel would avoid further EU action. 'I'm sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states,' said the foreign minister. 'There's no justification whatsoever.' While the EU appears unable to take further moves against Israel, just getting to this stage has been a considerable step. The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel relaunched military operations in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March. Until then deep divisions between countries backing Israel and those more favorable to the Palestinians had hamstrung any move. In a sign of that, Hungary looked likely to maintain a block on more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank despite French minister Jean-Noel Barrot making a fresh plea for action. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says that at least 58,386 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign. The UN considers those figures reliable.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
EU Ministers Discuss Deal with Israel to Increase Gaza Aid
The European Union is seeking updates from Israel on implementation of a new deal to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Kaja Kallas, the bloc's foreign policy chief. Foreign ministers from the EU's 27-member nations are meeting Tuesday in Brussels in the wake of a new aid deal for Gaza largely forged by Kallas and Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar, The AP news reported. Saar met with EU leaders on Monday after agreeing last week allow desperately needed food and fuel into the coastal enclave of 2.3 million people who have endured more than 21 months of war. 'We have reached a common understanding with Israel to really improve the situation on the ground, but it's not about the paper, but actually implementation of the paper," Kallas said before the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. 'As long as it hasn't really improved, then we haven't all done enough,' she said, before calling for a ceasefire. Details of the deal remain unclear, but EU officials have rejected any cooperation with the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund over ethical and safety concerns. Opening more border crossings and allowing more aid trucks into Gaza is the priority, but officials say eventually they'd like to set up a monitoring station at Kerem Shalom crossing. Kallas said the ministers will also discuss Iran's nuclear program, concerns over developments in Georgia and Moldova, and new sanctions on Russia. The EU is readying its 18th package of sanctions on Russia, with holdouts within the bloc arguing over the keystone policy of capping oil prices to cut into Moscow's energy revenues. European nations like Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have increasingly called for the EU's ties with Israel to be reassessed in the wake of the war in Gaza. A report by the European Commission found ' indications ' that Israel's actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU — but the block is divided over what to do in response. That public pressure over Israel's conduct in Gaza made the new humanitarian deal possible even before a ceasefire, said Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch foreign minister. 'That force of the 27 EU member states is what I want to maintain now," he said. 'The humanitarian deal announced last week shows that the Association Agreement review and use of EU leverage has worked," said one European diplomat. Spain's Foreign Minister José Manual Albares Bueno said details of the deal were still being discussed and that the EU would monitor results to see if Israel is complying with those. 'We don't know whether it we will know how it works,' he said. 'It's very clear that this agreement is not the end — we have to stop the war." The war began after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023 on October 7. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. The EU has observed some aid trucks entering Gaza, but 'not enough,' said Hajda Lahbib, the EU Commissioner for humanitarian air and crisis management. 'The situation is still so dangerous, so violent, with strikes still continuing on the ground, that our humanitarian partners cannot operate. So, this is the reality we need to have a ceasefire," she said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt Says Israel-EU Agreement Has Not Increased Aid to Gaza
Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result. "Nothing has changed (on the ground)," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday. The EU's top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes. Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation. Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains "catastrophic". "There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege," he said. Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was "far from being sufficient" for the besieged enclave. EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday's meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground. Israel's continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month.
