The United Kingdom and 27 other countries have jointly called for an immediate halt to hostilities in Gaza, denouncing the deteriorating humanitarian crisis and what they describe as Israel’s dangerous approach to aid delivery.
In a strongly worded joint statement released over the weekend, the countries said the suffering of civilians in Gaza has “reached new depths,” condemning what they termed the inhumane killing of civilians looking for aid, as well as the slow and restricted flow of humanitarian aid.
The statement reads in part: “The current aid model is unsustainable and dangerous. We are deeply concerned by the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians seeking food and water.”
Their comments follow a deadly weekend in which Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported that over 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while queuing for food.
The ministry also said 19 others died from malnutrition, spotlighting the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged territory.
However, Israel’s Foreign Ministry swiftly rejected the joint statement, describing it as “disconnected from reality and sending the wrong message to Hamas.”
The Ministry maintained that Israel remains committed to eliminating Hamas’ military threat, and said the international community should be directing its condemnation at the militant group rather than questioning Israel’s actions in Gaza.
