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‘Suffering has reached new depths’: UK, Canada among 28 nations call to end Gaza war
Israel's foreign ministry, however, rejected the statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.”
Twenty-eight countries, including Britain, Canada and a host of European nations, have issued a joint statement calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
In the statement, the nations said that the war in Gaza “must end now” and that suffering there “has reached new depths”
The statement described the recent deaths of over 800 Palestinians (according to the figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry and the UN human rights office), who were seeking aid, as “horrifying”.
They said that the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”
The foreign ministers of the countries also criticised Israel, saying that the Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.
Also Read | Why Israel’s chaotic new food program in Gaza has turned so deadly
“The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the countries said. “The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law."
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and theEU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
USA and Israel express disagreement
Israel's foreign ministry, however, rejected the statement by the 28 countries, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.”
“Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X.
USA's Israeli ambassador, Mike Huckabee, also rejected the joint statement. Huckabee called it ‘disgusting’ as he wrote on X, and urged to pressure the “savages of Hamas”. Notably, Germany was also absent from the statement.
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
Hamas triggered the war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel's military offensive has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in ceasefire talks earlier but there was no breakthrough. The entire population of more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are reliant on the limited aid allowed into the territory, according to the AP.
Most of the food supplies Israel has allowed into Gaza go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American group backed by Israel.
Since its operations began in May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while heading to the sites, according to witnesses and health officials. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at those who approach its forces.
