EU says Israel has agreed to 'expand' Gaza aid access

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Thursday (Jul 10) struck a deal with Israel to increase aid access to Gaza that should see more food trucks entering and the opening of additional crossing points, the bloc's top diplomat said.

"Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

"This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed," Kallas added.

Gaza's two million residents are facing dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its devastating war with Hamas.

In a statement, Kallas said that the measures agreed by Israel "are or will be implemented in the coming days, with the common understanding that aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population".

She said the steps included a "substantial increase of daily trucks for food and non- food items" going into Gaza, the opening of several more crossing points in both the northern and southern areas, and the reopening of routes from Jordan and Egypt.

"The EU stands ready to coordinate with all relevant humanitarian stakeholders, UN agencies and NGOs on the ground, to ensure swift implementation of those urgent steps," the statement said.

The move comes as Israel and Hamas continue to haggle over the details of a US-backed ceasefire deal to halt the war.

The EU has been weighing taking measures against Israel after finding it in breach of a cooperation deal between the two sides because of its actions in Gaza.

But the 27-nation bloc has struggled to find consensus on what steps to take as it is divided between staunch supporters of Israel and countries backing the Palestinians.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli border communities on Oct 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.

Israel's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 57,680 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

The United Nations deems the figures reliable.