The European Union has called for “immediate” halts in fighting in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to reach the embattled civilian population, amid rising concern over deepening suffering and attacks on medical facilities in the Palestinian territory.
As Israel’s invasion advances in an effort to eradicate Hamas, thousands of Palestinians have fled to the south on foot, many clutching sparse belongings and makeshift white flags.
Only 10 per cent of the humanitarian aid required to meet the needs of the population has arrived in Gaza, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters after the EU’s 27 foreign ministers met to discuss the situation.
“Also very worrying is the situation in the hospitals. Many have simply collapsed or are on the brink of collapse,” Mr Borrell said, adding that 20 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza had ceased to function “because they cannot avail themselves of clean water or electricity.”
The medical aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières said in a statement that hospitals in Gaza were under “relentless bombardment”.
It accused the Israeli military of signing a “death warrant” for civilians trapped in Gaza’s central Al Shifa hospital.
“The ambulances can no longer move to collect the injured and non-stop bombardment prevents patients and staff from evacuating. At the time of writing, our staff are witnessing people being shot at as they attempt to flee the hospital,” the statement said.
Israeli authorities have repeatedly accused Hamas of locating its main headquarters below the hospital and of using civilians as “human shields”.
As the Israeli government comes under mounting international diplomatic pressure amid appeals from Gazan medical staff for electricity to maintain incubators for premature babies, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had offered to supply Al Shifa with fuel but that the offer was refused.
Statements by foreign ministers as they arrived at the meeting illustrated the varying views among EU member states.
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. It’s a humanitarian disaster. What we face is deaths of civilians, children, hospitals not working,” said Tanja Fajon, the foreign minister of Slovenia, one of the EU countries more sympathetic to Palestinians.
“Humanitarian ceasefire, in Slovenia we call strongly for it and strongly condemn the killing of civilians and children. It is a strong violation of international humanitarian law,” she said.
Jan Lipavsky, the foreign minister of the firmly pro-Israel Czech Republic, told reporters that Hamas was causing its own population to suffer by hiding its “HQ under civilian infrastructure”.
“The principle is the right to self-defence against aggression. You have to understand that there are everyday rockets flying from Gaza to Israel, also trying to kill the civilian population,” he said.
In negotiations over the weekend, the 27 countries reconciled their differences and issued a joint statement calling for “immediate pauses in hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors”.
It also affirmed “Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law”, called for the release of all hostages by Hamas, and accused the militants of using “hospitals and civilians as human shields”.
On Monday, Mr Borrell outlined proposals for a long-term solution he said could be pursued with the support of the US and the Arab States.
One Palestinian Authority should be in charge of all Palestinian territories, he said, adding that it was impossible for Hamas to return to power following its October 7th attacks that killed an estimated 1,200 mostly civilians and kidnapped over 200.
He also ruled out “forced displacement of the Palestinian people outside Gaza” and said there “cannot be an occupation of Gaza by Israel”.
“If we don’t find a solution, we will experience a perpetual cycle of violence moving from generation to generation, funeral to funeral,” he said.
