The foreign ministers of 27 countries, along with senior EU officials, warned on Wednesday that famine in Gaza is unfolding "before our eyes" and called for urgent measures to halt and reverse starvation. In a joint statement, the ministers said the humanitarian situation had reached "unimaginable" levels and stressed that humanitarian space must be protected, with aid never politicised. They warned that restrictive new registration rules could soon force essential international NGOs to leave the occupied Palestinian territories, worsening the crisis. They urged Israel to authorise all international NGO aid shipments, remove obstacles for humanitarian actors, and take immediate, concrete steps to allow large-scale, safe access for the UN, international NGOs and partners. They called for the use of all crossings and routes to allow in food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and equipment, and said lethal force must not be used at distribution sites. The statement expressed gratitude to the US, Qatar and Egypt for their efforts to push for a ceasefire and peace. It said a truce is needed to end the war, secure the release of hostages and ensure unhindered delivery of aid to Gaza by land. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
