Gaza suffering has reached 'unimaginable' levels, say 24 foreign ministers
Aid packages dropped from an airplane descend over Gaza, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, August 3, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
LONDON/BRUSSELS - The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels", Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
"Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the foreign ministers of 24 countries said in a joint statement.
"We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO (non-governmental organisations) aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating," the statement said.
"All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment."
Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies. However, in response to a rising international uproar, Israel late last month announced steps to let more aid into the enclave, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.
Western capitals, however, say much more aid is needed.
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 Britain.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation
Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit
Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault
Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024
Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh
Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter
Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, and boost frequency to other places
Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and two other members of the European Commission also signed the statement.
Some EU member countries, including Germany and Hungary, did not sign it. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine drone attack injures train station employee in Russia's Voronezh, governor says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A railway employee was injured and a power line damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack at a station in Russia's Voronezh region, the regional governor said on Sunday. "According to preliminary information, a railway station track technician was injured in one of the municipalities," Alexander Gusev said of the overnight attack on the Telegram messaging app. "He has been hospitalised." Gusev said the attack caused train delays, but by Sunday morning trains were running back on schedule. The Russian defence ministry, which reports only how many drones its units destroy not how many Ukraine launches, said on the Telegram messaging app that nine drones were downed over the Voronezh region in Russia's southwest. In total, the ministry said, its defence systems destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, all of them in regions west of Moscow. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv says that its strikes inside Russia are in answer to Moscow's continued attacks on Ukraine and are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Russia's war efforts. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore I want to divorce my husband and be a single mother: More victims speaking up on emotional abuse World Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit Singapore Buying hope: Inside S'pore's love affair with the lottery Singapore She won big in Genting, but getting $240k winnings back to Singapore was dicey Life These cats may have disabilities, but they are resilient and capable of being affectionate Singapore Motorcyclist dies after multi-vehicle collision on TPE Opinion Confessions of a born-again Singaporean Singapore Singapore congratulates Indonesia on 80th Independence Day The reports of the attacks came after a summit between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no agreement on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump said on Saturday that Kyiv should make a deal with Moscow to end the war because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not." REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
US cancels India trade talks scheduled for August, NDTV Profit says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations. A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from Aug 25 to Aug 29 has been cancelled, delaying talks on a proposed bilateral trade agreement, Indian business and financial news network NDTV Profit reported on Aug 16, citing people familiar with the matter. The current round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement is now likely to be deferred to another date, the report said, dashing hopes of some relief before the Aug 27 deadline for the additional tariff on Indian goods kicks in. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods , citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations. The new import tax, which will come into effect from Aug 27, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50 per cent – among the highest levied on any US trading partner. Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India's vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases. India's foreign ministry has said the country is being unfairly singled out for buying Russian oil while the United States and European Union continue to purchase goods from Russia. REUTERS
AsiaOne
4 hours ago
- AsiaOne
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine after Trump-Putin talks, World News
BERLIN - Several European leaders on Saturday (Aug 16) jointly pledged to continue support for Ukraine and maintain pressure on Russia until the war in Ukraine ends, after a summit in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The joint statement from leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was issued after Trump briefed them on his talks with Putin. It said the next step must be talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and that they were ready to work with Trump and Zelenskiy towards a three-way summit with European support. Trump said after his talks with Putin that Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia. He said he had agreed with the Russian leader that the best way to do this was to go straight to a peace settlement rather than via a ceasefire, something hitherto opposed by Kyiv and its European allies. The European statement - also signed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Council President Antonio Costa - said Ukraine must have "ironclad" security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity. "It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force. "Our support to Ukraine will continue. We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace," the statement said. [[nid:721411]] "As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace."
