Twenty-eight countries, including France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement on Monday saying the war in Gaza "must end now" and Israel must comply with international law.
The foreign ministers representing the cosignatories said "the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths” and condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food."
"The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity," the statement said.
"The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," it added.
The statement described the recent reported deaths of hundreds of Palestinians as they were seeking aid as "horrifying."
Local media also report that the Belgian state was summoned to appear before a Brussels civil court over allegations that it failed to uphold its obligations under the UN Genocide Convention concerning the war in Gaza.
Israel and the US reject the criticism
Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected the statement and said it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas." They accused Hamas of prolonging the war by refusing to accept an Israeli-backed proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release.
"Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X.
Israeli allies also denounced the statement. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the statement was "disgusting" and said the countries that issued it should instead focus on pressuring "the savages of Hamas".
Germany was also notably absent from the statement.
However, German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul had previously said that he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar and expressed the "greatest concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation" as Israel's offensive widens.
He called on Israel to work with the EU to enable more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
A worsening humanitarian crisis
In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, from operating, claiming the agency turned a blind eye to Hamas members in its ranks.
Responsibility for aid distribution was handed over to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had no previous experience of delivering aid to combat zones.
Its delivery method has been criticised by established aid groups, and deliveries at its four distribution sites across Gaza have often seen people killed, either in crowd crushes or after Israeli forces or security contractors opened fire near aid-seekers.
The signatories included the foreign ministers of around 20 European countries as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
The signatories called for an immediate ceasefire, adding they are prepared to take action to support a political pathway to peace in the region.
Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, according to international organisations, now relying mainly on the limited aid allowed into the territory.
Many people have been displaced multiple times.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 50, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. A subsequent Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Israeli military says 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, which have so far produced no concrete results.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that expanding Israel’s military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas in negotiations.
On Monday, the IDF launched its first ground operation into the central city of Deir al-Balah but gave no information about its aims and objectives.
