EU, global partners call for swift action on imminent famine in Gaza
Iran Press TV
Tuesday, 12 August 2025 6:33 PM
Foreign ministers from dozens of countries and senior EU officials have warned that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels," calling on Israel to lift restrictions on aid and international humanitarian organizations operating in the besieged territory.
"The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the EU's foreign policy chief and foreign ministers from 24 countries, including Japan, Britain, Canada, and Australia, said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
The statement stressed that humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicized.
It further warned that "due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs may be forced to leave the occupied Palestinian territories imminently which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further".
Countries signing the statement said that there is a need for immediate, permanent, and concrete steps to facilitate safe and large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs, and humanitarian partners in Gaza.
"All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment," the statement said.
The document, signed by EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, asked Israel to "provide authorization for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating".
The top diplomats said that "lethal force must not be used at distribution sites, and civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected".
Israel has faced mounting criticism over its 22-month-long war on Gaza, with United Nations-backed experts warning of widespread famine unfolding in the besieged territory.
UN-mandated experts have warned that Gaza is slipping into famine, while international organizations have condemned the months-long restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime on aid distribution in Gaza.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, accused Israel of engineering starvation and chaos in the territory by imposing deadly conditions on aid distribution and blocking international humanitarian organizations from carrying out safe delivery of aid.
The statement noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pursuing the war to serve his political and personal interests, with complete disregard for the lives of the Israeli captives held by Hamas.
Hamas also urged the international community to take action to stop the siege, starvation, and genocide in Gaza.
The developments come as the death toll from forced starvation in Gaza has risen to 227, including 103 children, as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged strip keeps deepening.
Gaza on Tuesday experienced more loss of lives and widespread destruction as Israeli forces continued their strikes across the aid-deprived territory.
Israel's genocidal war, which began in October 2023, has so far claimed nearly 61,600 lives while leaving more than 154,000 people injured.
he lives of at least 61,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children - and a simultaneous siege it has been enforcing on the Palestinian territory.
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