European countries slam Israeli minister for justifying Gaza starvation
Jerusalem: The European Union, France, and the UK on Wednesday denounced a minister of Israel’s far-right party, who said that starving two million Gazans would be justified and moral to release captives in the Palestinian territory.
“No one in the world will let us starve two million people even if it is justified and moral in order to free hostage,” Prime Ministerial hopeful Bezalel Smotrich told at a conference this week.
“We are delivering humanitarian supplies because we must do so We are in this situation where we need legitimacy to wage this war. ”
This comment came from Smotrich and angered the global society. The European Union labeled the deliberate starvation of civilians a ‘war crime.’ It criticized his remarks as displaying ‘scorn for the rules of international law and the principles of humanity. ’ considering the hundreds of children in Gaza, the EU urged the Israeli government to dissociate itself from Smotrich’s statements categorically and noted that it is essential to provide humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip.
EU also again appealed for an ‘‘immediate ceasefire’’ which would facilitate the freeing of all hostages and improve the delivery of assistance across Gaza.
France also shared the same sentiments and termed it a scandalous response. The French emphasized the aspect that giving humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza is a legal and moral requirement under international humanitarian law, given that Israel controls the territory.
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy condemned Smotrich’s comments on X, stating, “There can be no justification for Minister Smotrich’s remarks.” He has called on the Israeli government to withdraw the comments and condemn them.
The humanitarian crisis began on October 7, when the conflict in Gaza started, and most of the facilities in the Strip have been destroyed. The ongoing conflict has left 4 million residents displaced and in terrible danger of starving to death.
The conflict started following Hamas militants’ aggression to Israel on 7th October, in which about 1,198 have been killed, mostly civilians, by an AFP count using official data from Israel. Terrorists also kidnapped 251 people, 111 of which are still missing in Gaza as of tonight, and 39 people claimed to be killed by the Israeli army.
The latter, Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Still, it does not differentiate between civilian and militant victims.
