The European Commission (EC) announced on Saturday that it will “immediately” triple the humanitarian aid it provides to the Gaza Strip to a value of more than 75 million euros.
“The Commission will immediately increase the current amount of planned humanitarian aid for Gaza by EUR 50 million. This brings the total to more than 75 million euros.”EC President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement after a meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres.
German policy emphasized this “The Commission supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, in full respect of international humanitarian law.”
Von der Leyen visited Israel on Friday and conveyed to the authorities the full solidarity of the European Union following the attacks by the Islamist movement Hamas.
‘I know that Israel’s response will show that it is a democracy’Von der Leyen said in a call to the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, failing to mention that this response must be carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law.
In today’s announcement of more aid for Gaza, the commission’s chairman said they will “continue to work closely with the UN and its agencies to ensure this aid reaches those who need it” in that area.
“We are working hard to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza receive assistance in this context,” he stressed.
For his part, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Janez Lenarcic said in the statement that the Commission is “doing everything in its power to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
“This tripling of EU humanitarian aid will ensure that civilians in Gaza can meet their basic needs. It is essential to ensure safe and unrestricted access to humanitarian assistance,” he concluded.
Today ends the deadline given by the Israeli forces to one million people to withdraw from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south in the face of an impending military operation, an ultimatum issued by the community’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, considered “dangerous”. “and “practically impossible”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today visited the kibbutz of Beeri and Kfar Azza, his first visit since the massacre carried out by Hamas against their residents.
During the private visit to the ‘kibbutz’ (former collective farming villages), Netanyahu saw the homes destroyed by both attacks by Hamas militias and by rockets launched from the Gaza Strip and met with the Israeli army in the area, including the commander of the Parachute Brigade Colonel Ami Biton, the Yedioth Aharonot newspaper reported.
During his meeting with the army, Netanyahu told the soldiers that “the continuation of the offensive [contra o Hamas] is underway” in anticipation of a possible large-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, the first since Operation Cast Lead in 2008.
Hamas also announced another attack on Ben Gurion International Airport and on Ashdod and Ashkelon, with no reports of casualties so far.
The Israeli government has been the target of harsh criticism from the opposition, which denounced the authorities’ complete lack of preparation for Hamas’ unprecedented attack. Israel currently has an emergency government in consultation between Netanyahu and the now minister without portfolio Benny Gantz, who also visited the southern cities and promised to do everything possible to find those missing and kidnapped by Hamas.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel a week ago with thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response, Israel bombed several Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip from the air and imposed a total siege of the territory, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
The attacks have already caused thousands of deaths and injuries in both areas.
In recent hours, an Israeli ultimatum to the people of northern Gaza has led to the flight of hundreds of thousands of residents from a region of 1.1 million inhabitants, half of the enclave’s total population, due to fears of an impending danger. large-scale land invasion by the Israeli army.
Source: DN
