LEADERS from France, the United Kingdom, and Canada issued a stern warning to Israel for its mishandling of the humanitarian situation unfolding as a result of the aid blockade in Gaza on Monday.
It has also called on Israel to end all of its military operations in Gaza with immediate effect or else brace for sanctions.
Earlier on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to let aid supplies into the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, the three leaders called Israel’s announcement Sunday to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza “wholly inadequate” and said the country’s failure to assist the Gazan civilian population “is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said London, Paris, and Ottawa were “offering a huge prize while criticising the governments for asking to mellow down their stance on the Gaza population.
The earlier statement from the three Western countries called on Israel to engage with the United Nations “to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles.”
However, only five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday for the first time since March 1, when Israel halted the assistance to pressure the terror group to release dozens of hostages it is holding.
Despite being unwilling to do so, Israel had to allow the aid trucks to enter Gaza due to mounting US and other Western pressure.
The aid began entering the Strip as the military pushed ahead with a fresh operation in Gaza, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” which, according to Israeli officials, would see the IDF “conquer” Gaza, raze the vast majority of buildings and retain the territory for the foreseeable future; attack Hamas and prevent it from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies; and move Palestinians from Gaza’s north to its south.
Additionally, the UK, France, and Canada on Monday rejected the prospect of “permanent forced displacement” of Gazan civilians, and rebuked members of the Israeli government for using “abhorrent language… threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate.”
“We call on Hamas to release immediately the remaining hostages they have so cruelly held since 7 October 2023,” the statement added.
“Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate,” the statement said.
The statement was also signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
