Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said the aid ban amounts to “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza, who he said are overwhelmingly women, children, and ordinary men. According to the UN Daily News, he reported that three weeks have passed since Israeli authorities banned the entry of supplies into Gaza, noting that Gazans rely on imports via Israel for their survival.
He added: “A suffocating blockade, longer than the one imposed during the first phase of the war. No food, no medicine, no water, no fuel. Every day that passes without aid means more children go to bed hungry. Disease spreads, and deprivation deepens.”
Philippe Lazzarini warned that every day without food pushes Gaza toward a severe hunger crisis. He called for the immediate lifting of the blockade, the release of all hostages, and the uninterrupted and widespread entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies. The European Union's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, announced on Sunday that she will visit Israel and raise the issue of Tel Aviv's resumption of the war in the Gaza Strip.
The European Union's top diplomat, Kaya Kallas, commented on Sunday on the resumption of the war in Gaza, where the death toll has now exceeded 50,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
"I think it is very important that the hostilities stop and that lives are saved and preserved," she said. The European official added that the bloc will use "the tools at our disposal," as she put it.
Kallas said she will visit Israel to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government regarding a ceasefire. She is also expected to visit the Palestinian territories.
The European Union's top diplomat was speaking from Cairo on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arab-Islamic Committee on Gaza, which included representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

During a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty, Kallas said the future government in Gaza is also an important issue, as the European Union's position is that "Hamas should have no role." Her comments come as Israeli forces advance deeper into the Gaza Strip, ending a two-month truce that began in January following an agreement between Israel and Hamas through mediators.