Israel Reaches Agreement With EU to Allow More Aid Into Gaza
'We have achieved an agreement on very concrete terms: how many trucks will get in, how many crossings will be opened, distribution points so that people would receive help, water distribution,' Kaja Kallas, the bloc's top diplomat, told Bloomberg TV in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The war in Gaza has lasted more than 21 months, devastating the Palestinian territory and destabilizing the wider Middle East.
The humanitarian crisis has led to criticism of Israel even from traditionally staunch allies such as Germany and spurred the EU to push the Israeli government to increase flows of food and medicine going into Gaza.
The EU-Israel deal is the outcome of negotiations between Kallas and her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, an EU spokesperson told reporters, adding that the measures would be implemented in the coming days.
'We really need to see also this agreement put in practice,' Kallas said. 'I'm glad to hear that already today there were improvements like fuel getting to hospitals and the situation being a bit improved.'
The EU recently assessed that Israel breached the human rights clause of its trade agreement with the bloc. Brussels may propose some economic measures against Israel in response, though they're unlikely to be significant, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.
US President Donald Trump said negotiators were 'very close' to securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, though that was played down by a senior Israeli official who asked not to be named. The official, speaking on Wednesday, indicated a truce could be agreed to in a week or two but may not mean a de facto end to the war.
'Israel is serious in its will to achieve a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, and I believe it's achievable,' Sa'ar told reporters in Vienna on Thursday. 'If the temporary cease fire will be achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent cease fire.'
The EU deal will reopen several aid routes into Gaza through Egypt, according to a statement published by the bloc. Several other crossing points are expected to resume in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip that border Israel.
Bakeries and public kitchens will also be allowed to distribute food, according to the statement. Fuel deliveries for humanitarian facilities should also resume. The EU said it stands ready to coordinate with United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations.
'Following our dialog with the EU, our security council made further decisions last Sunday to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza,' said Sa'ar. 'They include more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.'
Germany foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, speaking alongside Sa'ar, expressed concern about 'the hunger and death in Gaza, that people are being killed while trying to access aid.'
Israel suspended aid flows into Gaza from March until late May, saying that Hamas was stealing it to bolster its war effort. As international criticism increased, Israel allowed a new organization, backed by the US and called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to begin distributing supplies.
The new system's been dogged by controversy, with the UN and others saying nowhere near enough aid is getting to Gaza's roughly 2 million people. More than 57,000 have been killed since the war began in October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Palestinian territory.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, triggered the conflict when it attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 250. Of those, 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought by Israel to be alive.
Separately, Kallas told Bloomberg TV the EU may reconsider the tens of millions of dollars in aid it provides to Laos if the Southeast Asian nation is found to be assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence has accused Moscow of requesting up to 50 Lao military engineers for mine clearance in Russia's Kursk region, under the guise of humanitarian work.
Lao officials have denied the allegations, according to local media.
With assistance from Dan Williams, Marton Eder and Philip J. Heijmans.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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