EU foreign policy chief says US must put more pressure on Israel over humanitarian aid in Gaza

The EU's foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrell, said after meetings in Washington this Thursday that the United States must put more pressure on Israel so that humanitarian aid can enter the Gaza Strip. .

Recent efforts, including by the United States, to get aid to the Gaza Strip by air or sea have not been as effective as land routes, which see hundreds of trucks enter the enclave each day, Borel said.

“We certainly hope that the US government will continue to press and pressure Israel to open the border and not block humanitarian access,” he added.

Borrell, who met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Wednesday, said Washington was working hard to get more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Israel says it wants to “flood” the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid from multiple entry points, amid calls to do something to avert the risk of famine among its 2.3 million people.

“We have increased our humanitarian support, but it is definitely not enough,” he said. “The reality that everyone recognizes is that there is a clear obstacle to humanitarian access by those who control (Gaza's) borders, which is the government of Israel.”