The foreign ministers issued a statement following the reported killing of over 100 people by Israeli gunfire as they sought aid from distribution sites and U.N. food trucks. This incident occurred over the weekend, and on Monday, Israel announced a new offensive in central Gaza.
In a social media post, Israel’s foreign ministry stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had fired warning shots to address an immediate threat against them on Sunday. They also mentioned that the number of casualties did not match the information the IDF had. The ministry accused Hamas militants of trying to create friction and emphasized the importance of enabling humanitarian aid into Gaza in coordination with the international community.
The claim by Israel was disputed in a statement signed by the foreign ministers of several countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, and many others, who criticized Israel’s aid delivery model. They described it as dangerous and destabilizing, asserting that it deprives Gazans of human dignity. The statement called for Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and stop denying essential assistance to the civilian population.
Notably, the statement was not signed by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Both Washington and Berlin have consistently supported Israel throughout its conflict in Gaza. However, Wadephul expressed his concern about the humanitarian situation to his Israeli counterpart on social media and urged Israel to follow through with agreements made with the EU to allow humanitarian aid.
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