26 Foreign Ministers Warn of Imminent Famine in Gaza, Call for Immediate Humanitarian Action

In the southern Gaza Strip’s Mawasi area, under intense summer heat, Palestinians are seen queuing for hours to collect limited quantities of drinking water — a stark image of the deepening humanitarian crisis in the region. This worsening situation has prompted Britain, Canada, Australia, and several European allies to issue an urgent appeal to Israel, demanding unrestricted access for humanitarian aid into the war-devastated Palestinian enclave.

According to a joint statement released on Tuesday by the foreign ministers of 26 nations, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has reached “unimaginable levels” and a catastrophic famine is “unfolding before our eyes.” The ministers stressed the necessity of “urgent action now to halt and reverse starvation,” warning that without immediate intervention, the death toll from hunger-related causes could escalate rapidly.

The statement further urged Israel to authorise all international non-governmental organisation (NGO) shipments and remove operational barriers preventing humanitarian agencies from delivering aid. The ministers insisted that “all crossings and routes must be opened to allow a large-scale flow of aid into Gaza, including food, nutritional supplements, shelter, fuel, clean drinking water, medicine, and essential medical equipment.”

In Gaza City, a heart-wrenching scene shows Palestinian mother Amira Muteir cradling her five-month-old baby, Ammar, whose frail body reflects severe malnutrition. The situation underscores the growing fears of famine in Gaza despite ongoing global calls for relief.

Israel, while denying responsibility for the worsening hunger crisis, has accused Hamas of diverting and stealing aid shipments — an allegation that Hamas firmly rejects. In an attempt to ease international outrage, Israel announced measures late last month to facilitate more aid deliveries, including limited pauses in fighting in certain areas and the creation of protected humanitarian corridors for aid convoys.

Despite these steps, Western governments insist that the measures are insufficient, with some countries resorting to conducting aid airdrops over Gaza to bypass ground delivery restrictions.

The joint statement was endorsed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Britain. Later that day, the European Union added Italy and Latvia as signatories.

Notably, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and two European Commission officials also signed the appeal, although Germany and Hungary refrained from adding their support.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates continues to extend humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s residents. On Tuesday, the UAE completed its 69th aid airdrop under Operation Birds of Goodness, a part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3. The mission, conducted in cooperation with Jordan and supported by Germany, Italy, Belgium, and France, delivered substantial quantities of essential food packages, sourced with the assistance of UAE-based charities.

In addition to the aerial aid, 20 trucks carrying approximately 500 tonnes of food supplies entered Gaza through land crossings, reflecting the UAE’s ongoing dual strategy of air and land humanitarian relief.

Egypt, serving as one of the key mediators alongside Qatar and the United States, announced that it is working to secure a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated in a Cairo press conference that negotiations aim to include a temporary cessation of hostilities, the release of some hostages, the exchange of Palestinian detainees, and unrestricted humanitarian and medical aid deliveries.

Diplomatic sources revealed that a senior Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian officials on Wednesday for renewed talks. This comes after several weeks of stalled negotiations following the breakdown of the last round of ceasefire discussions in July.

During a televised interview on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would permit Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, particularly from combat zones, and potentially exit the territory entirely if they wished. Netanyahu’s statement reflects a possible policy shift in Israel’s traditionally strict control of Gaza’s borders.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York, reports that 184 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the outbreak of the current conflict, adding to the war’s devastating toll on both civilians and the press