European Union warns against undermining humanitarian aid access to Gaza Strip

The European Union warned on Tuesday against undermining the delivery of humanitarian aid at the required scale to the Gaza Strip after the decision by the authorities of the Israeli entity to ban 37 international relief organizations from working in the Palestinian territories.

The Union emphasized the necessity of enabling these organizations to work sustainably to deliver aid with the speed, safety, and volume required.

This came in a joint statement by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the European Commissioner for Mediterranean Affairs, Dubravka Šuica, and the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, Helena Habib, regarding the registration procedures for international non-governmental organizations in Palestine, according to the official Palestinian News Agency.

The statement mentioned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, noting that citizens, as winter sets in, are exposed to heavy rains and severe cold in the absence of safe shelter.

It confirmed that children are still unable to go to school, while health facilities operate in a near-paralyzed state due to severe shortages in personnel and equipment.

It also stressed the necessity of delivering humanitarian aid on a large scale, quickly, safely, and without obstacles to Gaza, ensuring its sustainable distribution.

A ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip entered into effect on October 10 last, after a Zionist genocide war that lasted two consecutive years, yet the Israeli enemy army practices daily violations of the agreement and still prevents the majority of humanitarian aid from entering the Strip.