Ashraf AboArafe
Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on humanitarian access to Gaza as follows:
We, the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, reaffirm our continued support for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It is essential that the ceasefire be maintained, all hostages be released, and humanitarian assistance continue to flow into Gaza. We urge all parties to engage constructively in negotiations in the subsequent stages of the agreement to ensure its full implementation and a lasting end to hostilities. We also welcome the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States, seeking to agree on an extension of the ceasefire.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. We express our deep concern at the announcement by the Israeli government on 2 March that it will prevent all goods and supplies from entering Gaza. We call on the Government of Israel to comply with its international obligations and ensure the full, rapid, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza. This includes the provision of medical supplies, shelter supplies, water and hygiene kits, which are essential to meet humanitarian needs and early reconstruction in Gaza, but are restricted by Israel’s “dual-use” list. Halting the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza, as the Government of Israel has announced, would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. Humanitarian assistance should never be tied to a ceasefire or used as a political tool. We also reiterate the need to allow the people of Gaza, who have suffered so much, to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
All hostages must be released unconditionally, and Hamas must end its humiliating and degrading treatment of them. We also reaffirm our full solidarity with the families of the hostages and with the Israeli people in the face of the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
We need all parties to commit to a ceasefire and ensure that it leads to a lasting peace, the reconstruction of Gaza, and a credible path to a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.”
