The foreign ministers of 25 countries, alongside senior EU officials, have issued a powerful joint statement denouncing Israel’s obstruction of life-saving aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, warning that the humanitarian catastrophe has reached “unimaginable levels.”

The statement, which was signed by countries including the UK, Australia, France, Spain, Japan, and numerous European states, paints a grim picture of the reality on the ground. It warns that famine is “unfolding before our eyes” and calls for urgent action to halt and reverse the starvation deliberately worsened by Israel’s ongoing blockade.

The signatories condemned Israel’s “restrictive new registration requirements” that threaten to force essential international NGOs to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories. Such a move, they warned, would escalate the already dire humanitarian crisis.

They demanded that the Israeli government immediately authorise all international NGO aid shipments, lift all obstructions on humanitarian workers, and take “permanent and concrete” steps to ensure safe, large-scale access for the UN, humanitarian agencies, and aid partners. This includes opening all crossings and routes to allow a flood of urgently needed supplies—food, water, shelter, fuel, medicine, and medical equipment—into Gaza.

The statement also condemned the use of lethal force at aid distribution points, urging Israel to protect civilians, humanitarian workers, and medical personnel rather than target them.

Acknowledging the efforts of the US, Qatar, and Egypt in pushing for a ceasefire, the ministers stressed that an immediate and lasting truce is essential—not only to end the bloodshed but also to ensure the release of hostages and the unhindered delivery of aid by land into Gaza.

The growing international pressure reflects a deepening global outrage over Israel’s systematic blockade, which Palestinian rights advocates say amounts to collective punishment and a war crime under international law. (ILKHA)