EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel is provoking famine in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, an accusation Israel's foreign minister rejected.
Josep Borrell © Mena Today
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel is provoking famine in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, an accusation Israel's foreign minister rejected.
"In Gaza we are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people," Borrell said at the opening of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels.
"This is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine."
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz in a response urged Borrell to "stop attacking Israel and recognize our right to self-defense against Hamas' crimes".
Katz in a post on X said Israel allowed "extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help", but that help was "violently disturbed" by Hamas militants with "collaboration" by the U.N.'s aid agency UNRWA.
Since October 7th, Josep Borrell has continuously made hostile statements towards Israel.
This raises questions about his political stance in the conflict.
Borrell is supposed to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the European Union. More balance on his part is imperative.
Many member countries are irritated by his constant hostile statements towards Israel.
There is no famine in Gaza. Nearly 200 trucks enter the enclave every day. This is not enough, and an increase is planned while ensuring that aid does not fall into the hands of the Hamas.
Reporting by Nette Nostlinger, Dan Williams and Mena Today
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, while Israeli officials held indirect talks with Hamas aimed at securing a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
The Israeli military said it attacked Houthi targets in the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, and Ras Qantib power plant in Yemen on Monday.
Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations on Sunday condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran, called for reforms of global institutions and presented the bloc as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars.
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