2024-03-20 23:06:04
The voices against Israel’s war against Gaza escalate to the highest institutional positions. “Nothing justifies the collective punishment” and the “catastrophic hunger” in the Strip, denounced the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, yesterday from Brussels, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
She herself joined the general concerns and stressed the need to avoid “yes or no” a full-scale Israeli offensive in Rafah, at the enclave’s southern tip, home to 1.4 million Gazans . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself said that “it will take some time” until his troops enter Rafah. For its part, the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) yesterday presented its preliminary report on Israel’s accusations of collusion with Hamas, which admits “critical areas [que han de] be strengthened and improved”, but generally approves of their activity.
Just yesterday, 27 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of the enclave, and 23 more were killed in another bombing at an aid distribution point in Gaza City. The Government Media Office in the Palestinian enclave reported that more than 100 aid workers were killed and dozens injured over the past week in eight attacks carried out by Israeli forces. Hebrew troops continue to besiege Al-Shifa hospital, where they detained more than 350 people after killing and wounding dozens in the past few days.
“Silence the Guns”
Related news
To all this violence, widespread hunger is added. “More than half the population [més d’un milió de persones] they are facing catastrophic hunger, this is unprecedented and getting worse every day,” Guterres warned. “We must act before it is too late,” he urged while calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure the ‘full and unrestricted’ access of humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to ‘fully’ support UN humanitarian efforts The Portuguese leader is in Brussels for a summit of European leaders today and tomorrow.They plan to call for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire.
“We gather at a particularly dark time in which Europe’s role on the world stage is more important than ever,” Guterres recalled, while stressing the need to “unite to silence the guns.” Just like Canada has done. The US country will halt future arms sales to Israel after a non-binding vote in the House of Commons. Alongside Guterres, Von der Leyen has expressed that the EU is “very concerned” by the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” and by the fact that Gaza is facing “unacceptable hunger”.
#Guterres #Von #der #Leyen #join #clamor #Gaza