By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - In a fervent plea directed towards Israeli authorities, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday called for unimpeded access to Gaza for humanitarian aid workers.
"I call on the Israeli authorities to allow access to Gaza to UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini and to grant the necessary visas to United Nations and other humanitarian staff. They are playing an indispensable role in bringing relief to the afflicted civilian population in Gaza," he said on X.
The UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has been hindered from doing its job since January, when Israel accused a handful of its thousands of employees of being involved in Hamas attacks on Israel. Amid a probe of the claims, several countries have cut off funding to the agency, and its aid work for Gaza’s famine-stricken population has suffered.
Borrell has been among the EU officials most outspoken in advocating for the Palestinians.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.
Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.