WASHINGTON

Canada and European countries urged Israel on Monday to restore the medical corridor between Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to allow patients access to urgent treatment.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada and more than 20 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland said they stand ready to provide financial contributions, medical staff and equipment for Palestinians requiring care outside Gaza.

“As the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip continues to unfold, there is an urgent need to scale up medical treatment of patients from Gaza,” the statement said.

“We, the undersigned, stand ready to provide support in the form of e.g. financial contributions, provision of medical staff or equipment needed for the treatment of patients from Gaza in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” it added.

The ministers appealed to Israel to lift restrictions on medicine and medical equipment deliveries and to enable the UN and humanitarian partners to carry out “life-saving work.” They also cited UN Security Council Resolution 2286, calling on Israel to respect and protect medical personnel and ensure their safe passage.

Israel has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in a brutal offensive in Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.