Belgium on Wednesday issued a strong call for the EU to urgently address the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that isolated national efforts will not be enough to alleviate the suffering.
In doorstep remarks ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot blasted the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid.
“It’s time for the European Union and the international community to wake up, honestly,” Prevot said. “What we are seeing is an absolute shame. It’s not acceptable-cutting off, on a voluntary basis as a war strategy, any humanitarian aid, access to food, healthcare, electricity, and water is totally unacceptable.”
He stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that women and children in Gaza are starving and in desperate need of assistance.
“The people of Gaza urgently need humanitarian support. I am waiting for a strong reaction from the EU because I fear that no single country will be able to change the game on its own,” he said. “We absolutely need a collective reaction-and certainly and urgently, a European one.”
Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.
Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
More than 52,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.