The Australian Government and 22 other nations have issued a joint statement calling on Israel to “allow a full resumption of aid” into Gaza.
The delivery of aid to Gaza had been paused for nearly three months after a breakdown in negotiations. Israel recently allowed the first delivery to enter the region, although it was described as a "drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed" by the UN.
In the joint statement, foreign ministers said: “Humanitarian aid should never be politicised.”
Background
Following 15 months of war, a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel came into effect on 19 January. The U.S-led agreement was intended to have three phases. Phase one concluded on 1 March.
Negotiations to find a path forward for the remaining phases of the deal have been ongoing over the past few months.
Since the ceasefire agreement ended, Israel has blocked aid from reaching Gaza. It said this was to pressure Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
The UN has previously labelled this decision a “cruel collective punishment of Palestinians” and said “aid... should never be a bargaining chip.”
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According to a statement released by the World Health Organisation last week, “the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death.”
Resumption
In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that some aid will be allowed to enter Gaza. His office said: “Israel will allow the entry of a basic amount of food for the population in order to prevent the development of a famine crisis in the Gaza Strip.”
The UN welcomed the move, but said it was a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed”.
Joint statement
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of 23 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK, called on Israel to allow for the resumption of all aid to Gaza.
The statement said: “Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza’s people must receive the aid they desperately need.”
It added that the UN and humanitarian NGOs must be responsible for delivering this aid.
