He said on Thursday that he hopes the council “will send a strong message to Israel: Stop blocking, stop preventing the food to come into Gaza and take care of the civilians.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also stated it’s imperative that the principles of humanitarian law be upheld in Gaza.
“We must stick to principles in Ukraine as in Gaza without double standards,” he added
“We live in a chaotic world. We have a situation of impunity where any county or any armed group thinks that it can do whatever it wants because there’s no accountability.”
Guterres reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“As we condemn the terror attacks of October 7 and as we condemn other violations of international humanitarian law by Hamas, we also condemn the fact that we are witnessing a number of civilian casualties in Gaza that is unprecedented in my time as secretary-general,” he said.
Borrell added that the council today will approve conclusions that will go “much further” than the ones agreed to in October, when the ministers called on humanitarian pauses in Gaza.
Twenty-seven leaders of the European Union have called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in the Gaza Strip leading to a sustainable ceasefire.
The EU leaders requested a statement on Thursday after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
“The European Council calls for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire,” the leaders said, while also calling for “the unconditional release of all hostages.”
They also urged Israel not to launch its planned ground operation in Rafah, saying it would worsen the “already catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
They added that Rafah offensive would also prevent the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance to civilians.
More than a million Palestinians are “currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance there,” the leaders noted.
The EU leaders expressed deep concern about the catastrophic situation of children in Gaza and the imminent risk of famine caused by the insufficient entry of aid.
They called for full, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access into Gaza.
Israel launched the war against Gaza on October 7. However, almost six months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its objectives of “destroying Hamas” and finding Israeli captives despite killing at least 31,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 74,000 others.
