European Union And 26 Countries Call Suffering In Gaza Unimaginable

Children queue for food in Gaza. (Twitter/@UNRWA)

JAKARTA - The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached an "inconceivable level", according to a joint statement signed by foreign ministers from 26 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, and the European Union on Tuesday, urging Israel to allow indefinite aid to the war-torn Palestinian territories.

This joint statement comes as the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave deepens, the death toll from Israeli attacks and hunger continues to grow, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to launch a recent attack on control of Gaza.

"Worships are taking place in front of our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to stop and restore hunger," the joint statement said.

"We call on the Israeli government to authorize all international NGO aid deliveries and to unblock humanitarian actors in order to operate," the statement continued.

"All crossings and routes must be used to allow the entry of aid to Gaza, including food, nutritional supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine, and medical equipment," the joint statement exclaimed.

Israel denies responsibility for the widespread hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, Hamas denies.

However, responding to growing international noise, Israel late last month announced steps to allow more aid into the enclave, including stopping fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for relief convoys.

However, Western countries have stated that much more aid is needed and some countries have started sending aid by air through Gaza.

The statement was signed by Australian, Belgian, Canadian foreign ministers, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and England.

The European Union then on Tuesday sent a recent statement including EU, Italian and Latvian member states, signing the statement.

Head of European Union Foreign Policy Head Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean and EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management also signed the statement.

The joint statement also thanked the United States, Qatar, and Egypt for "their efforts to push for a ceasefire and bring peace," WAFA quoted him as saying.

Separately, the death toll from Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023 has reached 61,599 people according to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, as reported by Anadolu, while injuries increased to 154,088 people.

That number included 1,838 people who died and 13,409 others injured while trying to get humanitarian assistance since May 27.

The ministry's report also states that the death toll from hunger and malnutrition has reached 227 people, including 103 of whom are children.