Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot today called on Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian access to the Palestinian territories, stressing that the provision of aid should not be “conditional or politicized”, reports Anadolu.

Prevot criticized Israel’s plans to block international non-governmental organizations in Gaza, referring to the assertion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel has an unconditional obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure the unimpeded delivery of aid to civilians.

“Professional humanitarian actors such as UNRWA and international NGOs funded by Belgium conform to the highest standards of transparency, impartiality and independence,” he said on the US social media platform X, urging Israel to cooperate with all humanitarian actors “in good faith, based on clear and non-politicized criteria, to maximize the delivery of aid in Palestine”.

“I call on the Government of Israel to lift all restrictions on humanitarian access and respect the Comprehensive Plan to end the conflict in Gaza,” added Prevot.

Despite the ceasefire agreement entering into force in October, Israel continues to keep Gaza’s border crossings largely closed, preventing the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials and worsening humanitarian crisis affecting over 2 million people.

Palestinian officials say at least 414 people in Gaza have been killed since the ceasefire.

Source: prizrenpost