Brussels, 27/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Louis Michel, has called for the opening up of the border between Israel and Gaza to allow emergency humanitarian aid reach the people living in the Gaza Strip.
In a press release published in the evening of 26 June, the Commissioner declared, “We know the needs are increasing all the time. The problem now is providing secure access to those who are suffering. €30 million in supplies and funding form the EU are ready and waiting: give us the tools to get on with the job”. Warning against the risk that, “Gaza will begin to look like a citadel under siege”, Michel explained that, “There are no grounds for a blockade of humanitarian aid. This must continue to be provided to the people in Gaza in the same way as for vulnerable groups in the West Bank and in other crisis zones”. (an)