The European Union (EU) called on Israel to open additional border crossings, in addition to a maritime corridor from Cyprus, to facilitate larger volumes of aid reaching Gaza.
EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, in a statement on the social media platform X, emphasized the union’s support for the sea passage from Cyprus and urged Israel to allow more aid through additional routes, including from the north, while also easing customs restrictions.
Gaza is experiencing severe humanitarian conditions, with a dire shortage of food, placing the majority of its northern inhabitants under the threat of famine. Due to Israel’s tight control over border crossings, only very limited quantities of humanitarian aid are currently entering Gaza.
To circumvent the limitations of land crossings, several countries including Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and the US have resorted to airdropping humanitarian aid into the enclave in an effort to alleviate the crisis.
UNRWA spokesperson Kazem Abu Khalaf recently highlighted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly dire, with concerns escalating over the rising number of deaths caused by bombing and starvation.
Abu Khalaf expressed grave concerns about the worsening conditions, emphasizing that the crisis is not solely due to the bombing but is also significantly exacerbated by starvation.
“In Gaza, the humanitarian situation is catastrophic and continues to deteriorate each day. We fear a widespread increase in mortality rates, not just from bombings but from hunger as well,” Abu Khalaf remarked.
