"The time has come for Europe to speak with one voice on Gaza."

 

European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Hadja Lahbib called on Thursday for the 27 member states to have "the political courage to find a strong voice" on the war in Gaza, as member states are divided over the stance to adopt towards Israel.

"We are at a turning point and the time has come for the EU to act in a manner that lives up to its international stature," she said in an interview with several journalists, including AFP. 

"The time has come for Europe to speak with one voice on Gaza."

"What is happening there haunts me and should haunt us all. Because it is a tragedy and we will be judged by history and by our grandchildren," she added. "We cannot stand by and simply watch innocent civilians, aid workers, and journalists being killed and starving."

EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday for an informal meeting where the situation in Gaza will be discussed, but no decision is expected.

The United Nations and non-governmental organizations regularly denounce the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, a territory under siege and bombardment by Israel for nearly two years, where more than two million Palestinians live.

In Gaza, "we are talking about a famine in the 21st century, the first ever seen in the Middle East," Ms. Lahbib stressed. "What is particularly shocking and sad is that this is a famine we could have avoided if we had been allowed to provide our humanitarian aid."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced in July that she had reached an agreement with Israel to allow greater access to international humanitarian aid.

This agreement has only been "partially" implemented, Ms. Lahbib added, for whom even if "some progress" has been made, it remains very insufficient.