Gaza “graveyard” for most important principles of humanitarian law: EU top diplomat

“Gaza was, before the war, the greatest open-air prison. Today it is the greatest open-air graveyard. A graveyard for tens of thousands of people, and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law,” Borrell told reporters at the doorstep of the EU foreign affairs meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The bloc’s foreign policy chief also stated the ministers will discuss the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

“We are not talking about full suspension association agreement. This would be something for the commission to propose. We are talking about the political dimension based on the respect to humanitarian law,” Borrell explained.

Israel launched a destructive military campaign in Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 31,700 Palestinians have since been killed, the majority of the 2.3 million population has been displaced and many are starving amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

Earlier, the EU foreign policy chief had warned that Gaza is already “in a state of famine”, saying the situation is “entirely man-made” by Israel.

“In Gaza, we are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine affecting thousands of people,” he stated

“This is unacceptable,” he stressed, adding: “Starvation is used as a weapon of war.”

Borrell warned that the besieged strip is “becoming a territory without any kind of order,” due to conflict that started last October.

“The territory of Gaza is very quickly becoming a territory without any kind of order, is more and more looking like Haiti, Somalia, Syria, or Mosul. This will be the first failed state before having existed,” he added.

He also voiced hope that “in the intermediate future the discussion of the United Nations Security Council will allow for a cease-fire in Gaza”.