dpa
Paris
Germany, France and the United Kingdom have urgently called on Israel to lift its blockade of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, which has been in place for over 50 days.
“Palestinian civilians - including 1 million children - face an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death. This must end,” a joint statement by the three countries issued on Wednesday said “Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool ... Israel is bound under international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid,” it continued.
Israel must grant the United Nations and humanitarian organizations access to the sealed-off coastal strip so they can operate there safely, they demanded. Furthermore, the Palestinian Hamas movement must not divert the aid for its own financial gain.
The three European countries also condemned statements by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz about wanting to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian territories should neither be reduced in size nor demographically altered, declared Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry categorically rejected the accusation that Israel was politicizing humanitarian aid. He stated that Israel is only obliged to provide aid if the civilian population is not sufficiently supplied.
