The European Union calls for an “immediate halt to the fighting” for medical evacuations

The European Union called for an “immediate cessation of fighting” in the Gaza Strip, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Borrell said that these breaks are necessary to allow the evacuation of patients from hospitals in the Gaza Strip. He also asked Israel to “exercise maximum restraint to ensure the protection of civilians.”

The European Union is working to establish a new sea route for evacuation from Cyprus. Currently, evacuees can only leave the Gaza Strip by land, via the border crossing with Egypt. At this border post, people are allowed to pass at a slow pace, mostly foreigners and people requiring acute medical care.

Borrell wants to provide more emergency aid to hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which are facing shortages of food, medicine, and the fuel needed to operate the generators that supply them with energy. “Hospitals must be immediately supplied with urgent medical supplies and patients needing urgent medical care must be safely evacuated,” Borrell said.

The possibility of a ceasefire is the subject of discussion among EU member states. French President Emmanuel Macron called for this on Friday, pointing to the large number of civilian deaths due to Israeli bombing. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz disagrees with this opinion. Schulz said today: “I believe that the calls for an immediate ceasefire or a long-term cease are incorrect.” “This means that Israel is giving Hamas the opportunity to recover and obtain new missiles.”

Dan de Vries

Read more about the situation in Gaza Strip hospitals here: “Violent fighting around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza,” and contact with the medical staff was lost.