EU Says Israeli Strikes Exceed What’s Needed to Combat Hamas
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has said that Israeli strikes in Gaza have gone beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas, as the death toll continues to mount.
Kallas’ remarks follow an intervention by new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who declared he “no longer understands” Israel’s objectives in the besieged enclave. He said that the “civilian casualties can not be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism”.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also described recent Israeli attacks on Gaza’s civilian infrastructure as “abhorrent” and “disproportionate”.
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Since March, the Israeli air strikes and other military actions have killed 3,924 people, as per the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel said that it is acting to destroy Hamas and get back the hostages the group holds.
Also, Kallas said that the EU did not support a new aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel, which bypasses the UN and other humanitarian organisations. “We don’t support the privatisation of the distribution of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid can not be weaponised”, she said.
Recent Israel bombardments have killed large numbers of civilians. Last Friday an air strike in Khan Younis killed nine of a Palestinian doctor’s 10 children. At least 35 people were killed in a school building sheltering displaced families in northern Gaza overnight into Monday.
The EU is one of the largest humanitarian aid donor to Gaza, yet Kallas said most of it was currently unable to get to Palestinians who need it. Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza in March and only began allowing a trickle of aid in after 11 weeks.
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“The majority of the aid to Gaza is provided by the EU but it’s not reaching the people as it is blocked by Israel,” Kallas said. “The suffering of the people is untenable”, she added.
