“Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised,” it continued. “However, due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs may be forced to leave the OPTs imminently which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further.”
The statement further implores Israel to authorize all international NGOs and “unblock” humanitarian actors, as well as facilitating the immediate entry of widespread aid into Gaza via the U.N. and international NGOs.
It also says that lethal force must not be used at aid sites. Many Palestinians have reportedly been shot by snipers and tanks while trying to access aid.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Commissioners Dubravka Šuica and Hadja Lahbib also put their names to the statement. Earlier on Tuesday, Lahbib publicly denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing plans for a military takeover of Gaza city “catastrophic.”
European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook the starvation, displacement and killing in Gaza “looks very much” like genocide. Israel and its international allies deny accusations of genocide and war crimes.
The foreign ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania did not sign up to Tuesday’s statement.