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European Council President Admits Israeli Blockade of Gaza Violates International Law

© AP Photo / Ariel SchalitSmoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel - Sputnik International, 1920, 18.10.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European Council President Charles Michel admitted on Tuesday that the complete blockage of the Gaza Strip by Israel violates international humanitarian law.
"When you cut the basic infrastructure, when you cut access to water, when you cut electricity, if you do not allow food to be delivered, this is not in line with the international law," Michel told reporters in Brussels after the extraordinary video conference of the European Council on the situation in the Middle East.
The European Union is working with countries in the Middle East to organize evacuation of foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip and get humanitarian access to the conflict area, the European Council president said.
The EU is also aware of Egypt's position regarding accepting refugees, Michel noted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and US Vice-President Joe Biden pose for the media prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.10.2023
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"On Egypt, I just mentioned [it] because this should be clear for everyone in Europe that for Egypt there is a very clear position on the idea that they do not intend to allow people from Gaza to leave Gaza and to be hosted in Egypt," he said.
The EU heads of state or government instructed their foreign ministers and ambassadors to strengthen coordination in the Middle East and establish monitoring of the situation in order to maintain unity on this topic, the European Council president said.
They also agreed to strengthen cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the member states to prevent increased security threats across Europe due to the conflict, he added.
In addition, the EU leaders reiterated their call on Palestinian movement Hamas to release all the hostages and on Israel to respect humanitarian law, Michel said. They also condemned Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel, he added.
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to declare a state of war the following day and launch retaliatory strikes. Israel has reported over 1,000 deaths, while the death toll in Gaza has topped 2,000. Thousands of injured have been reported on both sides as a result of the escalation.
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