The European Union has yet to take any collective action against Israel, despite an internal assessment revealing “indications” that Israel has violated its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The International Court of Justice ruled in July that Israel’s occupation of Gaza and other Palestinian territories is illegal, reports 24brussels.
Since October 2023, over 200 individuals have succumbed to starvation in Gaza, including 106 children, according to Palestinian health officials as of August 13. This figure includes eight deaths recorded in the preceding 24 hours.
Israeli restrictions on food supplies, including a complete ban from March to May, have pushed Gaza towards “unfolding famine,” scientists warned. European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera remarked that Israel’s actions in Gaza “look very much” like genocide, a claim that is firmly rejected by the Israeli government.
In the past 17 days, merely 1,535 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza, significantly insufficient to fulfill the basic needs of the territory’s 2.4 million residents, Palestinian health officials reported on August 13. Although Israel and various European nations, including France, Germany, and Spain, have initiated airdrops, NGOs argue that these efforts represent a dangerous and misguided distraction. Palestinian nurse Oday al-Quraan tragically lost her life due to an air-dropped parcel on August 4, as reported by The Independent.
U.S. nonprofit Anera indicated that $7 million worth of aid is currently stranded in Ashdod, not far from Gaza, due to Israeli restrictions. “The answer, to save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby,” stated Anera’s president and CEO Sean Carroll.
The Israeli government has been approached for comment.
