GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Ten countries, including eight European nations, expressed in a joint statement issued on Tuesday deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, urging Israel to take immediate steps to address the situation.
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It emphasized that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic and is deteriorating rapidly.
According to the statement published by the UK Foreign Office, the onset of winter has intensified civilian suffering in Gaza due to heavy rain and plummeting temperatures, making already dire living conditions even worse.
The ministers highlighted that around 1.3 million people remain in urgent need of shelter, while more than half of Gaza’s health facilities are only partially operational due to severe shortages in equipment and basic medical supplies. They also noted that the near-total collapse of sewage infrastructure has exposed around 740,000 people to the risk of toxic flooding.
The statement further explained that the vast majority of Gaza’s population, estimated at 1.6 million, is facing extreme levels of food insecurity. Despite a slight increase in aid deliveries since the ceasefire began, humanitarian access remains heavily restricted, hindering effective relief efforts.
The signatory nations called on Israel to allow international NGOs to operate sustainably and consistently in Gaza to enable unrestricted humanitarian aid delivery.
They also stressed the importance of ensuring that the United Nations and its partners, including UNRWA, which provides essential health and education services to millions of Palestinian refugees, can continue their work without obstruction.
Finally, the ministers demanded the removal of what they described as “unreasonable restrictions” on certain imports, especially medical equipment and shelter materials. They urged Israel to open border crossings to facilitate increased humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
