On Thursday, November 12, 23 countries issued a joint statement urging Israel to ease its restrictions on aid, warning that its near-total blockade was worsening public-health conditions in Gaza.
The signatories called on Israel to allow aid to enter Gaza unhindered, demanding that it reopen humanitarian corridors and approve essential supplies, including so-called “dual-use items” that Israel bans from entering Gaza.
“As winter sets in, far too many people in Gaza are still without adequate shelter, and risk exposure to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses,” Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sarah MacIntosh, said at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.
The appeal specifically emphasized supplies needed for shelter, fuel, water, sanitation, and medical care. It also called on Israel to allow medical patients in Gaza to receive care in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The countries also noted that medical and humanitarian workers and facilities must be protected, urged expedited criminal investigations into Israeli attacks on medical personnel, and demanded that Israel grant senior international delegations and journalists access to Gaza.
The initiative was led by Britain, Qatar, and Jordan and backed by countries including Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Turkey. The United States did not sign the statement.
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