The United Kingdom, France and Canada are “horrified” by the military escalation in Gaza and have threatened to take “concrete actions” against Israel if it does not stop its renewed offensive and lift aid restrictions.
“I want to put on record today that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel … We repeat our demand for a ceasefire,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the UK’s parliament on Tuesday, as Israel doubles down on its deadly campaign in Gaza, killing at least 87 people in the last 24 hours.
On Monday, Starmer, together with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney released a joint statement calling Israel’s escalation “wholly disproportionate”.
“We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable,” the leaders said, also condemning Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank. “Israel must halt settlements which are illegal … We will not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots in a bid to control all of Gaza after cutting off food, fuel and medical aid in early March, accused the three countries of offering a “huge prize” to the Palestinian group Hamas, which is currently holding dozens of Israeli captives.
The three leaders slammed Netanyahu’s move the previous day to allow a few trucks into the besieged enclave after nearly three months of total blockade as “inadequate”, warning that the Israeli government risked breaching international humanitarian law. Israel reportedly allowed in just a few trucks on Monday, but more were expected on Tuesday.
They said they would not “stand by” while Israel pursued “egregious actions”, highlighting the “abhorrent language” on pushing Palestinians out of Gaza used by members of the Israeli government like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and underlining that forced displacement would be illegal.
Husam Zumlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told Al Jazeera that the “number one” thing the three countries could do was impose an arms embargo on Israel. “The UK has taken some measures to suspend some arms exports. It’s not enough. It has got to be full and comprehensive,” he said.
Zumlot also said the states should act to ensure that “war criminals” were “held accountable”. “They must absolutely support our efforts at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice,” he said.
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, questioned how the threatened sanctions would be targeted. “Targeting whom? You need to impose sanctions on the state. It’s not about the prime minister. This is the entire government enterprise,” she told Al Jazeera on Monday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that Israel’s partial lifting of the blockade on Monday was “totally insufficient”.
“Indiscriminate violence and the blocking of humanitarian aid by the Israeli government” had turned the besieged territory into “a death trap”, he told France Inter radio.
Reporting from Jordan’s capital Amman, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut questioned whether international pressure would have much effect on Netanyahu, pointing out his previously voiced intention to press on until “absolute victory” and his belief that his country was fighting a “war of civilisation against barbarism”.
“They say that the expanding military ground offensive is the only way for them to move forward,” she said.
‘Cruelty amid genocide’
The three leaders spoke out as 23 countries, including the UK, France and Canada, issued a joint statement urging Israel to let aid into Gaza, warning that the population faced “starvation”.
The statement, published on Monday, said humanitarian aid should never be politicised, taking aim at Israel’s “new model” for aid, which would see the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation delivering supplies under Israeli military protection.
“It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the United Nations and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives,” said the statement, which called on Israel to let the UN and aid organisations get on with their life-saving work.
Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, reporting from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, noted that the statement had been issued before Tuesday’s meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, where it is expected the bloc’s trade agreement with Israel will be coming under review.
“What we are seeing is a shift after one and a half years of ongoing bombardment on Gaza, with this blockade on food leading to a public outcry,” she said.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said it was “outrageous and morally reprehensible” that the world had taken “nearly 80 days of broadcast starvation and cruelty amidst genocide” to exert pressure on Israel to lift its siege.
As the world focused its attention on Israel, the military stepped up its deadly attacks across the Strip. At least 87 people were killed and 290 wounded during the past 24-hour reporting period, according to a daily update by the Gaza Health Ministry.
The casualties bring the total number of people confirmed killed in Gaza during the war to 53,573 with 121,688 wounded, the ministry said.
