The United Nations and the European Union confirm their position on the ceasefire in Gaza

In their appearances before the press, Guterres and Ursula von der Leyen called for more aid to be brought into the enclave in a strong joint position that considered the current conditions unacceptable for civilians.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations stated that more than half of the population – more than a million people – face catastrophic hunger, according to the scientific classification that was recently published, calling for “action now before it is too late.”

The High Representative called on the Israeli authorities to ensure full and unrestricted access to humanitarian goods and asked the international community to provide full support for the Agency’s efforts.

He stressed, “We must continue to do everything in our power to stop the killings, reach an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, and ensure the unconditional release of the hostages.”

For her part, the European delegate considered it necessary to reach a cessation of hostilities, by describing the situation in the Gaza Strip as unacceptable.

The two representatives met in this capital ahead of the two-day European Council summit.

The event will devote space to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, as well as regional security and defense issues.

This week, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, intensified his criticism of Tel Aviv and accused it of using hunger as a weapon of war.

The diplomat accused Benjamin Netanyahu's government of turning “what was before the war the largest open-air prison in the world” into “the largest open-air cemetery.”

“It is a cemetery for tens of thousands of people, and also a cemetery for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law,” he said during a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

meem/ebr