London: Twenty-eight countries, including Britain, Japan and a host of European nations, issued a joint statement Monday saying the war in Gaza “must end now” — the latest sign of allies' sharpening language as Israel's isolation deepens, the Associated Press reported.
The foreign ministers of countries, including Australia and Canada, said “the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths." They condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food."
The statement described as “horrifying” the recent deaths of over 800 Palestinians who were seeking aid, according to the figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry and the U.N. human rights office.
“The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the countries said. “The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law."
Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected the statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.” It accused Hamas of prolonging the war by refusing to accept an Israeli-backed proposal for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release.
“Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also rejected the statement from many of America's closest allies, calling it “disgusting” in a post on X and saying they should instead pressure the “savages of Hamas.” Germany was also notably absent from the statement.
Gaza's population of more than 2 million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Israel's offensive has displaced some 90% of the population, with many forced to flee multiple times.
Most of the food supplies Israel has allowed into Gaza go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American group backed by Israel. Since its operations began in May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while heading to the sites, according to witnesses and health officials.