EU urges Israel to allow NGOs unhindered access for critical humanitarian aid in Gaza

Brussels [Belgium], January 7: European Union has called on Israel to allow international NGOs to operate and deliver life-saving aid to civilians in need in Palestine.
"Without these international NGOs, humanitarian aid cannot be delivered at the scale needed to prevent further loss of life in Gaza," said a joint statement issued by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, and Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica.
"To deliver aid rapidly, safely and at the scale required, international NGOs must be able to operate in a sustained and predictable way. Without them, life-saving assistance cannot reach people in need.
"Humanitarian aid delivery and service provision for civilians depends on access. Under International Humanitarian Law, all parties to a conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of principled humanitarian relief."
Moreover, the European Council stressed the need for the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid, at scale, into and throughout Gaza. Consequently, it called on Israel not to implement the non-govermental organisations (NGOs) registration law in its current form.
The statement read, "The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen.
As winter sets in, Palestinians are left exposed to heavy rain and falling temperatures, without safe shelter. Children remain out of schools. Medical facilities are barely functioning, with minimal staff and equipment."
Source: Emirates News Agency