Ahead of foreign affairs ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday, where discussions will include the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the wider region, Agnès Bertrand-Sanz, Oxfam humanitarian expert, said:
“The discussions happening today behind closed doors have an impact on real people, people who are facing the unimaginable. Yet, Europe’s response is often lethargic – recently exemplified by their lack of response to Israel’s banning of UNRWA.
“The EU and EU countries must double down on demands for a ceasefire, suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and make sure humanitarian aid does not get blocked or destroyed. Finally, EU countries cannot keep arming this destruction in Gaza and Lebanon – they must stop arms sales to Israel.
“History is watching, and Europe has a choice: does it want to be complicit in these violations of international humanitarian law and this campaign of ethnic cleansing in North Gaza?”
*Amendment: Headline and quote updated on 28 November 2024.
Notes to editors
Agnès Bertrand-Sanz is available for interview.
Photos and b-roll are available upon request.
Oxfam is calling on the EU and EU countries to:
- Take all action to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the deadly and destructive cycle of violence.
- Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement as Israel is breaching Article 2 of the agreement on the respect of human rights and democracy.
- Ensure aid is allowed to flow, in safety, to those most in need by putting pressure on Israel to release its stranglehold on aid delivery.
- Discontinue arms sales to Israel.
Oxfam, along with 20 partner organisations, has reached over 1 million people in Gaza in the past year with cash, food and essential basic items, restoration of water and sanitation services, and provision of protection to the most vulnerable groups despite access to Gaza being severely restricted. Oxfam and partner organizations are unable to provide any support to the remaining civilians in the North Gaza governorate, where people are dying every day.
Read Oxfam’s accountability report here which was published in October and a scorecard published this week by Oxfam America and other humanitarian organisations assessing progress on US demands in Gaza.
Oxfam is working with local partners in Lebanon and alongside other aid agencies as part of the government’s humanitarian response plan following Israel’s invasion of Southern Lebanon and aerial bombardment. The response includes distributing water, setting up showers and water heaters, and fixing water pumps to ensure people have access to clean and safe water.
Oxfam is part of the #CeasefireNOW campaign, a coalition of 800 organisations. Over 1.4 million people worldwide have signed this petition.
Recently, Oxfam:
- Reacted to Israel’s banning of UNRWA.
- Raised the alarm on the catastrophic situation in Northern Gaza.
- Published data on the scale of aid obstruction in Gaza by the Israeli government finding that the Israeli governments blocks 83% of food aid into Gaza.
- Reacted to Israel’s raids on West Bank refugee camps.
- Published data showing that Israel’s cutting of external water supply, systematic destruction of water facilities and deliberate aid obstruction has reduced the amount of water available in Gaza by 94%.
Agenda of the European Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting where ‘Situation in the Middle East’ is mentioned.
Contact information
Jade Tenwick | jade.tenwick@oxfam.org | Work: +32 (0) 473 56 22 60 | Personal/Out-of-Working Hours +32 (0) 484 81 22 94
Agnès Bertrand-Sanz is available for interview.
Photos and b-roll are available upon request.
Oxfam is calling on the EU and EU countries to:
- Take all action to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the deadly and destructive cycle of violence.
- Suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement as Israel is breaching Article 2 of the agreement on the respect of human rights and democracy.
- Ensure aid is allowed to flow, in safety, to those most in need by putting pressure on Israel to release its stranglehold on aid delivery.
- Discontinue arms sales to Israel.
Oxfam, along with 20 partner organisations, has reached over 1 million people in Gaza in the past year with cash, food and essential basic items, restoration of water and sanitation services, and provision of protection to the most vulnerable groups despite access to Gaza being severely restricted. Oxfam and partner organizations are unable to provide any support to the remaining civilians in the North Gaza governorate, where people are dying every day.
Read Oxfam’s accountability report here which was published in October and a scorecard published this week by Oxfam America and other humanitarian organisations assessing progress on US demands in Gaza.
Oxfam is working with local partners in Lebanon and alongside other aid agencies as part of the government’s humanitarian response plan following Israel’s invasion of Southern Lebanon and aerial bombardment. The response includes distributing water, setting up showers and water heaters, and fixing water pumps to ensure people have access to clean and safe water.
Oxfam is part of the #CeasefireNOW campaign, a coalition of 800 organisations. Over 1.4 million people worldwide have signed this petition.
Recently, Oxfam:
- Reacted to Israel’s banning of UNRWA.
- Raised the alarm on the catastrophic situation in Northern Gaza.
- Published data on the scale of aid obstruction in Gaza by the Israeli government finding that the Israeli governments blocks 83% of food aid into Gaza.
- Reacted to Israel’s raids on West Bank refugee camps.
- Published data showing that Israel’s cutting of external water supply, systematic destruction of water facilities and deliberate aid obstruction has reduced the amount of water available in Gaza by 94%.
Agenda of the European Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting where ‘Situation in the Middle East’ is mentioned.
Jade Tenwick | jade.tenwick@oxfam.org | Work: +32 (0) 473 56 22 60 | Personal/Out-of-Working Hours +32 (0) 484 81 22 94
