UK, France, Germany Urge Israel to Allow Aid into Gaza

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany have jointly called on Israel to allow the immediate and unrestricted passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, in line with international law.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the ministers stressed that humanitarian assistance must never be used as a political tool. They further warned against any reduction of Palestinian territory or attempts to alter its demographic structure.

The three nations also urged all parties involved in the conflict to return to a ceasefire agreement. They demanded that Hamas immediately release all remaining hostages in its custody.

Their appeal comes amid a surge in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. Over the past two days, Israel has launched one of its largest aerial bombardments in weeks, killing dozens of Palestinians and destroying key civil infrastructure, including vehicles and equipment used for rescue operations.

According to Palestinian media reports, at least 19 people have been killed since dawn on Wednesday in various parts of Gaza due to ongoing airstrikes.

Maqmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence forces, reported that an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighbourhood killed 11 people and injured 17 more, many of whom were women and children. The school, Yafa, was sheltering thousands of displaced residents at the time of the attack. The explosion caused a massive fire, with several victims reportedly burnt beyond recognition.

Additional strikes in Al-Tuffah also claimed the lives of four people in a separate incident, while another child was killed in a strike on a home in Jabalia, northern Gaza. One more civilian was reported dead following an air raid on Khan Younis.

Basal noted that civil defence teams continue to receive distress calls regarding missing persons trapped beneath rubble across several areas of the strip. However, emergency crews are critically under-equipped, lacking essential tools and rescue machinery.

Calls for Accountability Amid Escalating Civilian Casualties

Gaza’s civil defence has accused the Israeli military of carrying out what they described as “massacres” against civilians. Airstrikes and artillery shelling reportedly continued across several districts, including Al-Zaytoun and Al-Shuja’iya in Gaza City, as well as areas in eastern Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza.