Debate: EU’s response to the repeated killing of humanitarian aid workers, journalists and civilians by the Israel Defence Forces in the Gaza Strip
Date: TUESDAY, 23 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

The recent Iranian strike on Israel was also a clear escalatory attack. But we must not forget, at the same time, the gravity of human suffering in Gaza. The figures are there. More than 34 000 people killed, mostly civilian women, children. Twice this number wounded. 75 % of the population displaced, on the brink of famine. We know that dozens of children have already been starved to death.  The cities in Gaza have been more destroyed than the German cities during the Second World War – just imagine the comparison. A recent interim damage assessment by the World Bank and by the United Nations, supported financially by the European Union, assessed the direct damage to be about 19 billion – this will be the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure of Gaza the way it was at the end of January, so imagine now much worse. We can say that more than 60 % of the physical infrastructure has been damaged and 35 % fully destroyed.  At least 249 aid workers have been killed – I’m talking about aid workers – according to the United Nations, since 7 October, among them 181 United Nations staff. And I think that we have to pay tribute to all eight agencies, including UNRWA, which alone has lost 178 employees.  Then come these Israeli strikes against the convoy of the World Central Kitchen that killed 7 humanitarian workers while they were delivering aid to the most vulnerable in Gaza. But keep in mind, we were very moved by these 7 people being killed, but before them there were 249 also killed. And maybe we were not as moved. And people around the world say, yes, that’s very bad. These 7 humanitarian workers deserve all our homage, but keep in mind that together they were 249 more. Together with Commissioner Lenarčič, we publicly call for a credible investigation.  We are also appalled by the number of journalists and media workers which has been killed by the strike in Gaza. About 100 journalists and media workers, as Reporters Without Borders recount, in less than six months. This is unprecedented. Journalists are civilians and their voices are crucial to keeping this information at bay and citizens being informed. And we are also concerned about the newly adopted legislation giving temporary power to the Israeli Government to prevent foreign media networks from operating in Israel. This, coupled with the lack of access to foreign media to Gaza, raises further concern about what we know about what’s going on there. We have to repeat once again that Israel must respect international law, implement the International Court of Justice provisional measures, ensure the protection of all civilians, allow humanitarian workers to do their lifesaving job without being targeted. For the first time, the Israeli Defence Forces recognises that it was a dramatic error, that it was a mistake, the killing of these humanitarian workers. The question is: how many mistakes have been happening before without being recognised? We insist on the fact that journalists have to be protected, and on granting access to Gaza to ensure the freedom of press. The European Union Council has insisted – and I am here representing the common ground of all Member States, in line with the conclusions of the European Union Council – that an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance are the guidelines of the European Union, as decided by the European Council on 17 April 2024.  But we have to do more and ask everybody to do more to protect civilians and alleviate a humanitarian catastrophe by increasing the flow of humanitarian aid, which is not an impediment, which is not an obstacle. Yes, there are obstacles. And yesterday, my colleague Lenarčič was explaining the number of conditions that this aid has to fulfil in order to be allowed to come into Gaza.  We need more access by land roads, more access points. The recent decision by Israel to open the Ashdod port and the Erez crossing point is positive news, but they have to be implemented – it is not a matter of announcing, it is a matter of doing. And at the time being, it is being done at a very slow pace and in very low quantity. This is a fact. Quicker checks and better distribution remains crucial to alleviate people’s suffering. And it’s crucial for Israel to comply with the United Nations Security Council binding Resolution 2728, demanding full humanitarian access. And on that, also, the Europeans are fully behind.  Finally, a ground operation in Rafah must be avoided. There are more than 1.3 million people on the streets of Rafah with no more shelter than a piece of plastic over their heads. And humanitarian consequences would be catastrophic. Everybody is saying that – the US, the European Union, Member States. We insisted in the G7. We insisted in the Foreign Affairs Council. Let us say that this is not going to happen.  And then we have to say that the work of UNRWA has to be supported. And yesterday the former Minister Catherine Colonna report that Secretary-General Guterres tasked her to do was issued. And I think that it’s important to read this report. It is important to know what this very independent and very professional group of people have been studying and what they tell us.  I think there is a strong convergence of views between the analysis and recommendation of this independent review group with the measures that we have been discussing at the European Union institutions. We are now waiting to see how we continue our cooperation with UNRWA, because what the report says is that they haven’t found any proof of the accusations against some workers of UNRWA. And that, yes, there are some problems of political neutrality. But this is one thing. And another thing is to participate in the terrorist attacks of 7 October. We welcome the UNRWA cooperation and, as Minister Colonna said, it is an irreplaceable safety line for hundreds of thousands of people. Calling the international community to fund UNRWA in order to allow this institution to continue their work.  I have to pay tribute to the 7 humanitarian workers killed when they were working for the World Central Kitchen, but also to the 249 people who were killed before. I have to pay tribute to all the victims of the Hamas attack and the Israeli army against Gaza. To more than 100 journalists and media reporters.  And we have to ask for this tragedy to end. And I repeat, the European Union Council asked for the implementation of the United Nations resolutions, asked for immediate release of the hostages, asked for more access for humanitarian support, asked for a humanitarian pause that brings about a permanent ceasefire and, most importantly, asked to look for a political solution.  We cannot say this is just a humanitarian problem – it is, and it has to be immediately faced – but it is a political problem. And we have to join our forces, as we agreed to do yesterday with the Gulf countries, in order to look for a political solution that can only be based, I believe, we believe at the European Union, on the two-state solution. And if there is someone who doesn’t believe in that solution, then they have to tell us which is the alternative. You don’t want the Palestinians to have their own state, in order to live in peace and security side-by-side with Israel? You don’t want this solution? Then you have to tell the international community which other solution you have in mind in order to ensure peace, prosperity and security for these two peoples that for too many years have been fighting for the same land.  We condemn all terrorist activities, but we want humanitarian law to be respected and we want the hostilities to stop, humanitarian support to come in, the hostages to be released and a political process to be put in place in order to look for a political solution to this dramatic war.