The foreign ministers understand that this decision will only aggravate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages held by Palestinian militias.
The foreign ministers of eight European countries, including the Spanish José Manuel Albares, have ratified this Sunday their unqualified condemnation of the new offensive that Israel is preparing in the Gaza Strip.
Albares and his counterparts from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal and Slovenia thus strongly condemn the Israeli government's announcement, which will materialize in principle starting next October, following a forced evacuation order for all its residents, who will have two months to leave the place before the entry of the Army, according to the main lines of the plan advanced by the Israeli media.
The foreign ministers understand that this decision will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages held by Palestinian militants. This operation will result in an unacceptably high number of deaths and the forced displacement of nearly one million Palestinian civilians, they added in a statement released Sunday.
The signatories also firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in the occupied Palestinian territories, considering it a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
The offensive planned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the occupation of Gaza City it entails represent a serious obstacle to the implementation of the two-state solution, which is the only path to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.
The ministers further insisted that the Gaza Strip must be an integral part of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, adding that recognition of Palestine and Israel is the best guarantee of security for both and will ensure the stability of the entire region.
Finally, all signatoriesrepeat their previous demandsto try to resolve the conflict in the short term: an immediate ceasefire agreement and a permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas, and the rapid, unhindered and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid.
Finally, they also agree that the political future of Gaza does not contemplate the existence of Hamas as a source of authority or security body. Hamas cannot play any role in the future government or security arrangements in Gaza, and must be disarmed, they concluded.
