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Urgent call from EU to protect civilians, humanitarian workers and UN facilities in Gaza

Friday, 1 August 2014 13:11 GMT

©Shareef Sarhan/UNRWA

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* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In a statement released yesterday, the EU has condemned the shelling of an UNRWA school and a market and in the Shuja'iyeh neighoborhood of Gaza:

"It is unacceptable that innocent displaced civilians, who were taking shelter in designated UN areas after being called on by the Israeli military to evacuate their homes, have been killed. We are deeply concerned at the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and reiterate that all sides must meet their obligations and immediately allow safe and full humanitarian access for the urgent distribution of assistance."

Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva has repeatedly called for safe and full humanitarian access inside Gaza to allow the distribution medicine and medical treatment, water, food, and fuel. The EU's humanitarian assistance to Gaza responds to the population's most urgent needs, including food, shelter and health and the repair of water and sanitation infrastructure.

On 25 July, the EU increased its humanitarian aid in Gaza by €5 million, bringing it to a total of
€23.5 since the beginning of this year.

Read more stories from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) here.

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