The European Union (EU) announced it had reached an agreement with Israel on expanding aid to Gaza to improve the humanitarian situation in the Strip.
The EU Foreign Affairs Chief, Kaja Kallas, made the announcement on Thursday, saying the deal will involve more aid trucks entering Gaza, the repair of critical infrastructure and the protection of aid workers.
“Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza. This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” Kallas wrote on X.
EU-Israel Deal Details
In a statement, the EU Foreign Affairs Chief said that these measures “are or will be implemented in the coming days, with the common understanding that aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population.”
She added that the steps agreed upon include “the substantial increase of daily trucks for food and non-food items to enter Gaza, the opening of several other crossing points in both the northern and southern areas; and the reopening of the Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes.”
They also include “enabling the distribution of food supplies through bakeries and public kitchens throughout the Gaza strip; the resumption of fuel deliveries for use by humanitarian facilities, up to an operational level; the protection of aid workers; and the repair and facilitation of works on vital infrastructure like the resumption of the power supply to the water desalination facility.”
Immediate Ceasefire
Kallas also expressed the EU readiness to coordinate with “all relevant humanitarian stakeholders, UN agencies and NGOs on the ground, to ensure swift implementation of those urgent steps.”
Furthermore, she reiterated the bloc’s call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages, emphasizing support for the current efforts of mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US.
The deal comes as the EU found Israel in breach of its obligation under the Association Agreement between both sides in the light of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The bloc was considering taking measures against Israel.
The war in Gaza has so far claimed the lives of more than 57,600 Palestinians and injured over 137,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
