Conflicts
France wants to mobilize aid for the Gaza Strip
French President Emmanuel Macron will chair the aid conference. photo
© Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA POOL/AP/dpa
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is rapidly deteriorating. French President Macron is organizing an international conference to support the civilian population.
Just over a month after the start of the Gaza war, France is organizing an international aid conference for the civilian population Gaza Strip. According to the Elysée Palace, the meeting with representatives of states and aid organizations in Paris is about advocating for compliance with international law in the coastal strip and increased humanitarian access.
Help for the supply of water, health, energy and food should be able to reach people. New financial commitments to support the people of Gaza are expected at the conference. France has already announced this.
The meeting led by French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to include, among others, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis, who is planning a maritime corridor for the delivery of humanitarian aid Cyprus with the final destination Gaza.
Israel not represented at conference
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other groups killed more than 1,400 people and kidnapped numerous hostages in the Gaza Strip in massacres and attacks in the Israeli border area. The Israeli armed forces then carried out air strikes and moved ground troops into the densely populated coastal strip. According to the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, more than 10,500 people have died so far.
Israel itself is not represented at the conference. However, Macron had spoken in advance about the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar, it was said in Paris. China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, will attend the meeting. China wants to push for a ceasefire, a ceasefire and a two-state solution, it said in Beijing.
Guterres: “Crisis of humanity”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation in the Gaza Strip on Monday as a “crisis of humanity” and complained that humanitarian aid was far from sufficient. Only around 400 trucks carrying aid supplies have been able to drive into the Gaza Strip in the past two weeks – compared to around 500 per day before the outbreak of the war. Urgently needed fuel could not be brought in at all.
The Group of Seven Economically Strong Democracies (G7) called for humanitarian ceasefires and the establishment of corridors to facilitate aid deliveries and the release of hostages at a foreign ministers’ meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday. “All parties must provide unhindered humanitarian assistance to civilians, including food, water, medical supplies, fuel and shelter, as well as access for humanitarian workers,” a G7 statement said.