Member of the European Parliament, Marc Botenga, called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Israel and to pressure it to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement, Botenga said: "Israel is deliberately killing Palestinians, not only with bombs but also by depriving them of their basic needs," describing this as "a war crime and a crime against humanity."

He added that the European Union is not exerting any real pressure on Israel nor taking concrete actions, stressing that "continuing this silence and inaction will allow Israel to persist in this approach, and it will not stop at killing Palestinians but will seek to fully occupy the Gaza Strip."

Botenga considered that the continuation of European relations with Israel as if nothing is happening is "shameful," affirming that European countries sending weapons to Israel are "effectively complicit in war crimes."

He stressed that the blockade imposed on Gaza must end immediately, calling on the European Union to impose urgent sanctions to open all humanitarian aid corridors without restrictions.

He pointed out that Israel’s prevention of aid is part of a policy of genocide being practiced against Palestinian civilians in the Strip.

The Israeli occupation had completely re-closed the crossings with the Gaza Strip on March 2, blocking relief aid and fuel, at a time when the Strip is facing a comprehensive war of extermination.

The population of Gaza, estimated at about 2.4 million people, relies almost entirely on humanitarian aid, as the majority have become impoverished due to the ongoing war for more than 19 months, according to World Bank data.