Melike Pala
14 March 2024•Update: 14 March 2024
ANKARA
European Parliament members on Thursday called on Israel to immediately open all border crossings and facilitate the passage of convoys for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
In a call adopted by a vote of 372 in favor, 44 against, and 120 abstentions in the General Assembly, the members expressed "deep concern" over the humanitarian situation, including the "catastrophic" level of hunger in Gaza.
Calling on Israel to open all border crossings and facilitate the passage of convoys for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, they emphasized the "urgent need for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access" in the region.
They reiterated the call for an "immediate and lasting cease-fire" to eliminate the risk of mass hunger in Gaza and for the "immediate and unconditional" release of prisoners.
Emphasizing the priority of land transportation for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza while welcoming the sea corridor, the members highlighted the spread of diseases and confirmed deaths of children due to malnutrition and lack of water.
They urged Israeli authorities to open the Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Karni, and Erez border crossings.
They also drew attention to the "indispensable role" of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the region.
The members strongly condemned attacks on humanitarian aid convoys, civilians seeking assistance, humanitarian workers, and healthcare workers, as well as Israel's attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the escalating violence by extremist illegal Jewish settlers.
Israel has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last October which killed some 1,200 people.
More than 31,300 people have since been killed and 73,100 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
