The prime minister highlighted this Thursday that the European Council reached an agreement on the “importance of creating conditions for humanitarian access” to the Gaza Strip, with corridors and “humanitarian pauses”, after disagreements over terminology.
“We agreed that Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law. There was agreement on the importance of creating conditions for humanitarian access to Gaza, through corridors and humanitarian ruptures,” wrote António Costa on the social network Twitter) on Thursday night.
In it #EUCO We discussed the situation in the Middle East. We agree that #Israel has the right to defend himself in accordance with international humanitarian law. There was agreement on the importance of creating conditions for humanitarian access to #Loopthrough corridors and humanitarian pauses. pic.twitter.com/ukjXBWHhkS
– Antonio Costa (@antoniocostapm) October 26, 2023
The Portuguese prime minister added that European leaders support “the need to protect all civilians and carry out diplomatic initiatives” in the region.
The heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) agreed this Thursday to request “pauses for humanitarian purposes” to allow the passage of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after disagreements over terminology.
“The European Council expresses its deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and for aid to reach those who need it through all necessary measures, including humanitarian corridors and pauses. for humanitarian purposes”, referring to the conclusions of the European summit, agreed by EU leaders.
This formulation of “humanitarian breaks”, agreed among the 27 after some six hours of discussions at the European Council that began today in Brussels and will last until Friday, comes after the previous version of the draft conclusions contained the term “humanitarian pause”. , without ever having foreseen a call for a “ceasefire”.
The call for a humanitarian pause in Gaza received consensus among the leaders of the Member States, but Portugal, for example, had already admitted that it preferred an EU position to defending a humanitarian ceasefire, which was not accepted by countries such as Germany , sources revealed. .europeans.
In fact, at the request of Germany, “humanitarian purposes” were added, the same sources claim.
“The European Union will work closely with its partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, healthcare, fuel and shelter, ensuring that this aid is not misused by terrorist organisations,” they say. even the conclusions. .
Source: TSF
