An agreement brokered by the EU’s top diplomat, designed to restore the flow of essential humanitarian relief into Gaza, hangs in the balance as efforts to secure a ceasefire broke down over the weekend.
At least 31 people were killed while trying to reach a U.S.-backed food distribution point after Israeli forces opened fire on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The United Nations said as many as 800 people have died at aid centers in the past six weeks, with access to humanitarian organizations routinely blocked. The Israel Defense Forces did not reply to a request for information.
The reports cannot be independently verified as media and international observers have been barred from Gaza, but the Red Cross has warned of an “unrelenting tide of injuries” that threatens to overwhelm the last remaining operational field hospital in the area.
That comes after the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, said she had brokered a deal with Israeli authorities to ensure Palestinians could access aid, amid fears of famine, water shortages and an almost total disintegration of the health care system.
“This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” the former Estonian prime minister declared on Thursday, insisting that humanitarian supplies would begin flowing within days.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest developments.
Top diplomats from EU member states will on Tuesday discuss whether to impose penalties on Israel amid growing pressure from capitals to take action to end the bloodshed. An options paper, first obtained by POLITICO, reveals Kallas will ask foreign ministers whether there is sufficient support to scale back cooperation with Israel on trade and other key areas.
Last month, a review by the bloc’s foreign service concluded “there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations” under the terms of an EU-Israel association agreement.
“In response to the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel launched an intense military campaign, involving the use of weapons with wide area effects in densely populated areas, and severe restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential goods and services into Gaza,” the document read.
Despite a majority of member countries calling for action, a total suspension of the agreement or the imposition of sanctions would require unanimous support — and staunch allies of Israel, like Hungary and Germany, have indicated they would block any such move, forcing Brussels to consider which measures could be taken with just a qualified majority instead.
Meanwhile, U.S.-brokered efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, were cast into doubt over the weekend, with the two sides failing to agree on the presence of Israeli troops in the territory following the potential cessation of fighting.
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