The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating as winter brings heavy rain and cold temperatures, leaving many Palestinians without adequate shelter. Children are unable to attend school, and medical facilities face severe shortages of staff and equipment.
On December 18, the European Council welcomed the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, which established a Board of Peace and a temporary International Stabilisation Force as part of a Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. The European Council urged all parties to fully implement this resolution according to international legal principles and committed itself to supporting these efforts.
The European Council also emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian aid to be delivered quickly, safely, and widely throughout Gaza. It called on Israel not to enforce its current non-governmental organization (NGO) registration law.
In a joint statement, High Representative Kallas and Commissioners Lahbib and Šuica said: “We call on Israel to allow international NGOs to operate and deliver life-saving aid to civilians in need in Palestine.”
They added: “Without these international NGOs, humanitarian aid cannot be delivered at the scale needed to prevent further loss of life in Gaza.”
The statement continued: “To deliver aid rapidly, safely and at the scale required, international NGOs must be able to operate in a sustained and predictable way. Without them, life-saving assistance cannot reach people in need.”
They also stressed that “Humanitarian aid delivery and service provision for civilians depends on access. Under International Humanitarian Law, all parties to a conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of principled humanitarian relief.”
Contact information for spokespersons Eva Hrnicirova, Anouar El Anouni, Markus Lammert, and press officer Quentin Cortes was provided for further inquiries.