EU LEADERS TO CALL FOR ‘HUMANITARIAN PAUSE’ IN GAZA

Thu 26 October 2023:

The meeting by EU leaders on Thursday will centre on the call for a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s war with Hamas.

After days of negotiations, a draft statement for the summit will reportedly call “for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including a humanitarian pause”, according to AFP news agency.

However, the statement, which could still change when leaders meet in Brussels, falls short of demands from the United Nations for a “ceasefire”.

The 27-member bloc has been struggling for both unity and influence in the face of the crisis that has engulfed the Middle East since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7.

In recent days, EU-member France reiterated its strong backing of the Israeli government’s strategy during a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Watch below Al Jazzeera’s report on Macron’s visit to Israel.

Four aid convoys have entered Gaza since 7 October, totalling 62 trucks.

But this is far fewer than the 100 trucks a day that UN officials have said were needed to meet just the essential needs of civilians in Gaza.

Even before the conflict, Gaza was reliant on hundreds of aid lorries.

Israel continues to carry out checks on trucks seeking to enter the territory through the Rafah crossing, on the Egyptian border, and has blocked any access to fuel.

Earlier today, the UN Palestinian refugee agency said it was having to share its own fuel within Gaza, facing choices between powering bakeries or incubators.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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