On Saturday 11 May, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, both condemned the forced evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army to civilians in Rafah (see EUROPE 13405/7), who were forced to take refuge in areas deemed “unsafe”.
Mr Borrell and Mr Michel described the situation as “intolerable” and “unacceptable” on the social network ‘X’, urging Israel to put an end to its ground operation in Rafah and to respect international humanitarian law.
“Crossing points must be fully functioning and allow essential humanitarian assistance to get through amidst raging famine”, said Mr Michel.
On Monday 13 May, as “violent fighting” raged in Gaza between the Israeli army and Hamas, the latter warned that the Palestinian territory’s healthcare system was “a few hours away from collapse” due to a lack of fuel, according to AFP.
East Jerusalem. Last Friday, the EU also condemned the two arson attacks perpetrated the previous day in East Jerusalem on the premises of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees in the Middle East.
“We call on the Israeli authorities to ensure the security and safety of UN staff and its premises in line with its obligations under international law and to bring the perpetrators to justice” said the European External Action Service in a statement. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)