A total of 29 countries, including Greece and Cyprus, sign a joint statement, issued at the initiative of Britain, calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, condemning the gradual and insufficient provision of aid.

With their statement, they challenge Israel  to comply with International Humanitarian Law.

At the same time, they fully support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this goal and declare their readiness to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process for security and peace for all – Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.

The relevant announcement by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that:

We, the undersigned, join forces with a simple, urgent message: The war in Gaza must end now. The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid model is dangerous, fuels instability, and deprives the people of Gaza of human dignity. We condemn the phasing out of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, who are trying to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is appalling that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.

What do the 29 countries sign in the joint declaration?

In the declaration, the signatory countries:

• They argue that the Israeli government's aid model is dangerous, fuels instability, and deprives Gazans of human dignity.

• They condemn the drop-by-drop aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, in their attempt to meet their most basic needs for water and food.

• They consider the Israeli government's refusal to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to the civilian population unacceptable and call on Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

• At the same time, they condemn the continued detention of the hostages by Hamas, and call for their immediate and unconditional release.

For these reasons, the signatory countries call on:

• the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their life-saving work safely and effectively.

• all parties to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law obligations.

More specifically, regarding the proposals for the mass movement of Palestinians to humanitarian zones in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as stated, it divides the Palestinian state in two, and it is noted that permanent forced displacement constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.

The countries that sign the joint request to end the war

The declaration to end the war in Gaza has been signed by the foreign ministers of the following countries:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

The statement is also signed by the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.

Finally, the countries declare their strong opposition to any territorial or demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territories, which constitutes a violation of international law and seriously undermines the two-state solution.