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SvennoJ on 05 April 2024
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European Council boss says Israeli crossing plan ‘not enough’

Charles Michel says “substantial and urgent” efforts are required to immediately end hunger as an “instrument of war” in Gaza, where children and infants are dying of malnutrition.

In a post on X, the European Council president also said that Israel’s announcement to temporarily reopen a border crossing to bring the much-needed aid into Gaza is “not enough”.



UNRWA says Israeli crossing announcement yet to materialise

Tamara Alrifai says there are have not been reports so far of any aid convoys going into Gaza through the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Amman, Jordan, the UNRWA spokesperson also noted that this crossing has been primarily used in the past for humanitarian personnel going in and out of Gaza and for humanitarian cases such as cancer patients requiring treatment outside of the besieged territory.

“It is not one of the big logistical hubs that would allow a huge influx or flow of trucks and humanitarian assistance but at this stage, any additional land crossing into Gaza that allows to relieve people through bringing in aid is welcome – provided it’s truly open.”


Much smaller than Rafah. Also it looks like there are neighborhoods planned? Roads planned along the border in Gaza. Mapa Gisrael provides the street layout data. Odd.

Alrifai has also commented on the reported figure of 350 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily.

“Today, and with pockets of famine quickly spreading across the Gaza Strip especially in the besieged north, nothing is enough,” she told Al Jazeera.

“Considering that not all of them would be food trucks – because we’re going to have work out a combination of food, blankets, medicine, fuel water – 350 remains way below the required minimum 500 which used to be the number before the war, even before the acute needs that we are witnessing now,” the UNRWA spokesperson said.

Noting that Israel has banned UNRWA from delivering aid to the north of Gaza, Alrifai also called on the government to reverse its decision and allow the largest humanitarian organisation “to effectively carry out our job, which is assisting people”.



‘Next step is to enforce this’: Francesca Albanese on UNHRC resolution

The UN special rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian territories has commended the states at the Human Rights Council “who voted to pass a resolution calling to halt arms transfers to Israel at this critical moment”.

“[The] next step for all states is to enforce this, as well as recent UN resolutions to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is in line with states’ obligations under international law, including ICJ [International Court of Justice] provisional measures,” she said in a post on X.


UN resolution ‘better late than never’

Geoffrey Nice, barrister and human rights lawyer, says that while the adopted UN Human Rights resolution is “better late than never”. “This is a good step but it should have been announced earlier, and it’s unfortunate that America abstained but I suppose not surprising,” Nice told Al Jazeera. He said that Israel and Hamas should face legal accountability for their crimes.

“We have to bear in mind, neither America nor the United Kingdom nor other countries will want a trial that is independent [and] international of these events because their own potential culpability either historically in the creation of the problem we’ve seen or presently in the supply of arms.”

He added that the resolution puts “a lot of pressure” on countries, like the UK, to stop supplying arms to Israel.