EU ‘too little, too late’ on Gaza, say NGOs
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Humanitarian groups urge the EU to move beyond statements and sanction "Israel" amid Gaza's deepening starvation crisis and aid blockade.
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Palestinians hold onto an aid truck returning to Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Humanitarian organizations are intensifying criticism of the European Union's failure to take meaningful action over the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. As Palestinians continue to suffer under "Israel's" blockade, experts say EU pleas for aid are ineffective without sanctions.
"Tweets don’t feed people,” said Bushra Khalidi, policy lead at Oxfam. "Statements don’t open aid crossings.” She described the EU’s approach as "baffling,” accusing European leaders of relying on "hollow” social media posts instead of applying real pressure on "Israel."
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the images from Gaza as "unbearable” in a post on X, reiterating the bloc’s call for "Israel" to allow more aid into the besieged territory. Earlier this month, the EU announced a deal with "Israel" aimed at increasing aid truck entry into Gaza.
Civilians cannot be targets. Never.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 22, 2025
The images from Gaza are unbearable.
The EU reiterates its call for the free, safe and swift flow of humanitarian aid.
And for the full respect of international and humanitarian law.
Civilians in Gaza have suffered too much, for too long.… https://t.co/VhaKxUXka0
Despite the public statements, the EU has not enforced concrete measures, Politico said. According to two officials, the bloc is now assessing its legal options after determining that "Israel" has violated human rights obligations under an association agreement that governs its trade and diplomatic relations with the EU.
Suspending this agreement, and thereby ending preferential trade, is the only way to exert meaningful pressure, said Hussein Baoumi, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
Von der Leyen’s statement, he said, was "long overdue and, in the face of genocide and engineered starvation, too little, too late.”
Amnesty, Oxfam, and Save the Children criticize inaction
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that, as of Thursday morning, 115 people, 81 of them children, have died of malnutrition since October 7, 2023. The head of the World Health Organization described the situation as a man-made "mass starvation."
"Israel" has blamed the United Nations for failing to distribute aid within Gaza, accusations rejected by the UN and various NGOs. "We have food. We have aid. Yet we cannot deliver it. And the reason is simple, the Israeli authorities block us," said Oxfam’s Khalidi.
Chris Lockyear, Secretary-General of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International, warned that EU inaction equates to complicity in genocide. "EU leaders must now show the courage and political will to act," he told POLITICO.
Maria Luz Larosa of Save the Children added that the lack of decisive EU action over the last 21 months has made the bloc "crushingly responsible” for the unfolding atrocities in Gaza.
Omar Shakir, "Israel" and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said the EU’s passivity had given "Israel" a "green light” to continue committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Macron says France to recognize Palestinian state
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will officially recognize the State of Palestine, as global outrage mounts over the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
In a post on X, Macron said the formal recognition will be made at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved," he wrote.
Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2025
I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September.… pic.twitter.com/VTSVGVH41I
While Macron initially backed "Israel" following the outbreak of the war, his stance has shifted amid growing frustration with "Israel’s" ongoing genocide in Gaza.
"Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine,'' Macron stated. “Peace is possible.”
Macron also shared a letter he sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informing him of France’s decision.
With this move, France becomes the most influential and powerful European nation to recognize a Palestinian state. Over 140 countries globally, including more than a dozen in Europe, have already extended recognition.
France’s foreign minister is set to co-host a UN conference next week focused on advancing a "two-state solution". Macron had already signaled his intent last month, expressing his “determination to recognize the state of Palestine” and calling for a broader international push toward peace, one that affirms both Palestinian statehood and "Israel’s" security.
