UK, France, Germany say Gaza ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ must end immediately

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany say the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza “must end now” and that “the time has come” for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Strip to end.

“We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their work in order to take action against starvation,” say British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a joint statement released by Berlin.

“The most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay,” they say. “Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”

“Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law,” they add.

The European leaders also stress that “the time has come to end the war in Gaza.”

“We urge all parties to bring an end to the conflict by reaching an immediate ceasefire,” they add. “We stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.”