EU’s Borrell calls for immediate access for int’l observers, media to northern Gaza

BRUSSELS, October 22, 2024 (WAFA) - The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Tuesday called for the immediate access for international observers and media to the Northern Gaza Strip.

International observers and media must be granted access,” he posted on his X platform account.

After days of military action, the reports on Northern Gaza are horrifying,” he said while stressing that “the human suffering from manmade famine and forced displacement cannot be justified.”

Reiterating his call for a ceasefire, he said: “I support the request for an immediate truce to allow humanitarian aid and safe passage for internally displaced persons.”

The top EU diplomat also condemned the heavy shelling and destruction of facilities of the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

UN spokesman Farhan Haq announced on Monday that Israel had rejected a request four days ago from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to access the Jabalia camp in order to help civilians trapped under the rubble.

Israel has proceeded with its genocidal offensive on the war-torn Strip in complete disregard of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel in a legally binding decision to halt its military offensive in Rafah, which may violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 42,718 Palestinians and injuring over 100,282 others.

Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.