Gaza: faced with the unbearable, Israel’s allies review their position

Faced with an increasingly unbearable situation in Gaza, the wind changes for Israel’s allies. The war against Hamas following the massacre of 7 October 2023 has already claimed more than 50,000 lives in 19 months, according to the UN (mostly civilians), and has destroyed 90% of the enclave. A blockade on humanitarian aid, put in place last March, is exacerbating a famine that NGOs have been denouncing for months. Netanyahu’s far-right government is trampling on international law and is now promising the ‘destruction’ and ‘depopulation’ of Gaza with ‘a vast ground operation’ called ‘Gideon’s Chariots’, which began this week.

On 19 May, France, the United Kingdom and Canada issued a statement against Netanyahu, threatening him with political and economic sanctions. The three countries condemned the ‘disproportionate escalation’, called on Israel to cease its operations and restore food aid and demanded that Hamas release the remaining hostages.

Israel, under pressure, today conceded the entry of 93 lorries of humanitarian aid into Gaza, after the UN had described yesterday’s entry of 9 lorries as a ‘drop in the ocean’. But London has already suspended talks on a free trade agreement and the EU has decided to re-examine its association agreement with Israel.

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