To allow more time for aid to be distributed to civilians living in Gaza, the 27 leaders of the European Union (EU) political bloc are calling on the United Nations (UN) to announce a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas war.
As they grapple with how to support Israel's efforts to fight Hamas terrorism while also doing everything possible to protect civilians caught in the crossfire, EU leaders say they also plan to forge regional partnerships to enhance the humanitarian relief efforts.
Draft conclusions calling for a leaders' summit in Brussels later this week explain that the EU is uniformly calling for the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages, though the details of all this could still change before the governments officially sign off on the petition.
The draft thus far stresses a need to avoid any kind of regional escalation in the Middle East while partners such as the Palestinian Authority are engaged for negotiations in how to best protect the innocent amid all the violence.
After spending months trying unsuccessfully to convince countries throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa to condemn Moscow's actions in Ukraine, the EU is now seeking to figure out how to support Israel's war while also condemning any civilian deaths that occur in the process.
"The Ukrainian war and this war have different causes and consequences but both are sending shock waves around the world and Russia is certainly taking advantage of this situation," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to reporters on Monday ahead of a gathering of foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
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"We have to be very much careful in order to show the same concerns for every civilian killed."
(Related: The recent expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 means that Iran is now free to trade missiles, drones and hypersonic weapons.)
Israel won't allow aid trucks to enter Gaza, leaving civilians stranded as sitting ducks ahead of planned ground invasion
In normal times – or at least as normal as it gets for Gaza's 2.3 million residents, some 100 aid trucks enter the area daily. Ever since the Hamas attack and Israel's response to it, that figure has dropped to just 20 trucks per day, which is not nearly enough to sustain the territory's residents.
By pausing the Israel-Hamas war temporarily, more aid trucks will be allowed time to enter and distribute food, water and other goods that Israel put a stop to following the Hamas attack.
As of now, Israel is still conducting nonstop airstrikes on Gaza, indicating that it does not intend to abide by any ceasefire. And now Israel is planning a massive ground invasion, though that endeavor appears to be on hold for the time being.
"I don't want to put the blame, but the fact is they are not entering," explained Borrell about the lack of aid trucks to Gaza in recent days when asked by the vehicles are now being blocked from entering. "It is for Israel to let all the trucks who are queuing in."
Just to be sure that Volodymyr Zelensky is not forgotten now that all eyes are on the Middle East, the same EU leaders trying to figure out how to support Israel's war affirmed that they are still committed to supporting Ukraine's war against Russia, both financially and militarily.
For as long as it takes, the EU said, it will continue dumping cash and weapons into Ukraine to fend off Russia's special operations, even though doing so will leave fewer resources for Ukraine, potentially spreading the West's support too thinly to sustain.
The latest news about the Israel-Hamas war can be found at Chaos.news.
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