GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Eight European countries have issued a joint statement rejecting the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to intensify attacks on the Gaza Strip and occupy Gaza City, warning against any demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territories. This comes after a similar statement signed by nine Western countries.
The foreign ministers of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain said in their statement, issued today, Sunday:
“We strongly condemn the recent announcement by the Israeli government to intensify its military offensive on the Gaza Strip.”
They added that this decision will only “deepen the humanitarian crisis and put the lives of the remaining hostages at greater risk.”
The eight countries stressed their rejection of any demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territories, considering it a violation of international law. They reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip is part of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
They argued that intensifying the Israeli offensive and occupying Gaza City would be “a serious obstacle to implementing the two-state solution.”
At the same time, EU Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, warned that Israel’s decision would further deepen the “already catastrophic situation” in Gaza.
She added in a post on X that “an immediate ceasefire is essential, along with the unconditional release of all captives and the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid in full compliance with international humanitarian law.”
Earlier, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s decision to expand the war in Gaza. Austria, France, Canada, and Norway later joined, warning against violating international law through the forced displacement of civilians and annexation of land.
Last Friday, the Israeli government approved a gradual plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with seizing Gaza City by displacing its nearly one million residents toward the south, then encircling the city and carrying out incursions into densely populated residential areas.
According to UN data, 87% of the Strip’s territory is already under Israeli occupation or subject to evacuation orders. The UN warned that any further military expansion would have “catastrophic consequences.”
Since October 2023, the Israeli occupation army, backed by the United States, has waged a genocidal war against the population of the Gaza Strip, which so far has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, wounded over 153,000, and displaced almost the entire population, amid destruction unprecedented since World War II.
