EU reiterates grave concern over Gaza humanitarian crisis as winter approaches
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that a year after the Gaza ceasefire was announced, strikes continue and shelter, medicine and medical equipment remain scarce. Israel denies breaking international law or blocking aid.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has again voiced grave concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as winter approaches. A year after the ceasefire was announced, military strikes in the Palestinian enclave continue, and residents still lack essential items.
Kallas' statement said suitable shelter, medicine and medical equipment remain in short supply. It attributed the shortages to existing access restrictions, which it said leave people without acceptable and dignified living conditions.
Israel's position
Israel denies breaching international law and blocking humanitarian aid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the amount of aid permitted into Gaza. He said Israel was supporting winter preparedness there but would not let the terror group Hamas exploit humanitarian supplies. Israel's mission to the EU was contacted for comment.
Strained relations
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cut ties with Kallas in June, after a media report alleged she had compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa. Kallas has long supported a push by several EU member countries to pressure the European Commission to ban trade with territories that Israel occupies illegally.
Background to the war
Israel launched the war in Gaza in response to Hamas' attack of Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and in which 250 were taken hostage. Since then, more than 70,000 people have been killed in the territory.
