A coalition of 25 Western nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has issued a strongly worded statement calling on Israel to immediately end its war in Gaza and condemning what they described as the “inhumane killing” of Palestinian civilians.
In a joint declaration released on Monday, the countries criticised Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid in Gaza, particularly the “drip feeding” of assistance and the recent deaths of more than 800 civilians near food distribution points. Many of these fatalities reportedly occurred near facilities run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organisation that has recently replaced the United Nations-led aid network under the backing of the United States and Israel.
“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the foreign ministers stated. “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.”
The signatories include the majority of the European Union, as well as four out of five members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, all traditionally close allies of Israel and the United States. Their unified call for an end to hostilities marks a significant shift in tone amid growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel swiftly rebuffed the statement, with its foreign ministry labelling it “disconnected from reality” and warning it sends “the wrong message to Hamas.” In a separate remark, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had spoken with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy about Gaza, reiterating that “Hamas bears full responsibility for the suffering of the population and the continuation of the war.”
The United States also responded forcefully. Its ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, described the joint statement as “disgusting,” asserting that the blame on Israel was “irrational” and that Hamas has consistently rejected proposals to end the war.
The United Nations has previously criticised the GHF-led model as unsafe and in breach of humanitarian neutrality standards, claims which GHF denies.
The Western nations behind the joint statement accused Israel of deliberately obstructing the delivery of essential aid and urged it to lift restrictions immediately. They also called for safe access for humanitarian agencies and the UN to operate without interference.
“We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement concluded.
UK announces humanitarian aid for Gaza
In a related move, the UK government announced a new humanitarian aid package worth £60 million for Gaza, aimed at alleviating the worsening crisis and supporting relief efforts on the ground.
