1 of 3 | Britain, France and Germany are calling for an immediate end Israel’s war in Gaza, after dozens of people were killed over a 24-hour period in the Palestinian enclave. Photo by Mahmoud Issa/UPI | License Photo
Britain, France and Germany are calling for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza after dozens of people were killed over a 24-hour period in the Palestinian enclave.
At least 57 people died in Gaza, the Palestinian News Agency reported Saturday, including those killed by airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military.
An infant also died from starvation in Gaza, with aid to the territory largely halted.
On Friday, Israel said it would give permission to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to drop aid into Gaza by air.
Approximately 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while waiting for food to be delivered, the United Nations said earlier this week.
“The humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now. The most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay. Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,” Britain, France and Germany said in the joint statement, while calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and “unconditional release of all hostages.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said his country would officially recognize a Palestinian state.
“We firmly oppose all efforts to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Threats of annexation, settlements and acts of settler violence against Palestinians undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution,” the joint statement from Britain, Germany and France reads.
“We are committed to working together with our international partners, including at the United Nations, to develop a specific and credible plan for the next phase in Gaza that will put in place transitional governance and security arrangements, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid at scale.”
The statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Friday at the White House that Hamas “didn’t really want to make a deal” when asked about the possibility of a ceasefire.
Trump spoke to reporters before leaving on a four-day trip to Scotland where he will talk trade with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“It was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die,” Trump told reporters Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is “considering alternative options” in the absence of a ceasefire agreement to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Earlier in the week, 29 countries issued a joint statement condemning the conflict, saying it had “reached new depths,” while calling for an immediate end.
