PARIS: France, the UK and the European Union on Wednesday denounced a far-right Israeli minister for suggesting it would be “justified and moral” to starve two million people in Gaza to free scores of detainees held in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli Minister’s remarks sparked outrage worldwide, with the European Union (EU) saying the deliberate starvation of civilian population was a “war crime.” The European Union said in a statement that it reflects, once again, his contempt for global law and for basic principles and values of humanity.
The EU stated that they expected the Israeli government to unequivocally distance itself from the remarks of Minister Smotrich as it called for access to cover the humanitarian needs of people of Gaza, including hundreds of thousands of innocent children.
The EU also reiterated its call for an “immediate truce” to secure the release of all detainees and also to increase the distribution of help in Gaza. In a statement, France strongly criticized Smotrich, expressing its deep dismay at the scandalous statements of extremist Israeli Minister. It added that providing humanitarian aid to Gazans is an “obligation under global humanitarian law” for Israel.
Similarly, UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said that there “can be no justification for Minister Smotrich’s statement,” and called on the wider Israeli government to retract and denounce them.
Since October 7, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire, with almost all of its 2.4 million population displaced and suffering from shortage of food. Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 39,677 people, health ministry said.
