A coalition of 25 Western nations with Britain, France, and Canada stated on Monday that Israel should end its Gaza war at once and denounced what they referred to as the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians, hundreds of whom were killed near food distribution centers.
Civilian Deaths Near Aid Sites Draw Global Outrage
The nations in a joint communique decried what they termed as the “drip feeding of aid” to Palestinians in Gaza and deplored that more than 800 civilians were being killed while trying to find aid.
Most of the victims were near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) facilities, which were supported by the United States and Israel to assume Gaza’s aid-delivery responsibility from a group dominated by the United Nations.
Foreign Ministers Slam Israel’s Aid Strategy
“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the countries’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement. “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.”
The demand by around 20 European nations, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the end of war in Gaza and the supply of aid originates from numerous nations allied with Israel and its biggest supporter, the United States.
Intelligence Allies Break Ranks with Israel
Among those urging the war to stop are four out of five members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group, which includes the U.S.
Israel’s foreign ministry denounced the statement as “disconnected from reality” and said that it would be the wrong message to send to Hamas.
“The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation,” the Israeli statement said.
Diplomatic Talks Continue Despite Tensions
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later said he spoke with his British counterpart David Lammy on Monday on regional issues, including Gaza. He blamed Hamas “for the suffering of the population and the continuation of the war”.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the statement “disgusting” and said blaming Israel was “irrational” because Hamas rejects every proposal to end the war.
The appeal from the other Western powers was made as Israeli tanks entered southern and eastern neighborhoods of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday.
Gaza War Toll Mounts with Widespread Destruction
Large portions of Gaza have been left a wasteland amid more than 21 months of the war that erupted when Hamas-led militants crossed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and kidnapping 251 hostages to return them to Gaza, Israeli estimates showed.
Israel’s Gaza campaign has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and the most recent fatalities were reported on Monday as Israel started a fresh incursion in central Gaza.
GHF Model Criticized by UN and Others
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation employs private American security and logistics firms to deliver supplies into Gaza, bypassing partly the U.N.-administered system, which Israel claims has allowed Hamas-led militants to plunder aid shipments destined for civilians. Hamas has denied that.
The U.N. has described the GHF model as unsafe and a violation of humanitarian neutrality standards, to which the GHF objects.
Nations Call for Unrestricted Aid Flow and Ceasefire
The statement countries described Israel as denying vital humanitarian aid and urged the nation to fulfill its international humanitarian law obligations.
They called on Israel to instantly remove restrictions to permit the movement of aid and to permit humanitarian agencies and the United Nations to work securely and effectively.
They stated they were “prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace” for Palestinians and Israelis.
The British government, in addition, delineated a 60-million-pound ($80.9 million) aid package for Gaza separately.
