EU says it is working to ensure aid access to Gaza

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The EU on Wednesday said it is engaged in efforts to establish a secure conduit for the expeditious delivery of aid to Gaza Strip, where Israel has launched airstrikes after a surprise attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

"Member states of the European Union, in collaboration with undisclosed regional and international entities, are diligently working to facilitate the entry of assistance, as well as the provision of water and electricity to Gaza," Shadi Osman, EU spokesperson in the Palestinian territories, told Anadolu.

He stressed the pivotal importance of "ensuring that there is no emergence of a humanitarian crisis."

"The perpetuation of the current circumstances could lead to a worsening of the ongoing crisis, potentially culminating in a humanitarian catastrophe,” Osman said.

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel on Saturday, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

Nearly 175,500 internally displaced people are sheltering in 88 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip, according to the UN agency.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala