NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has joined the calls of some of his partners and the United Nations in favor of a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. Stoltenberg, who met in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss, among other issues, the supply of weapons to Ukraine, referred to the suffering we have seen in recent weeks” to emphasize “that we must not give up working for a durable and peaceful political solution“, between Palestinians and Israelis.
But now, “international law must be respected, civilians must be protected,” said the Norwegian diplomat, who warned regional actors against adopting measures that could trigger a broader conflict in the Middle East.
“The Gaza war must not become a major regional conflict; Iran and Hezbollah must stay out of this fight,” he stressed.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground strikes against the Gaza Strip since a Hamas cross-border attack on October 7. Since then At least 10,569 Palestinians have died, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is almost 1,600, according to official figures. In addition to the high number of casualties, mass displacement and thousands of buildings razed, basic supplies are running out for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.
NATO’s first concern, however, continues to be Russia and therefore the war it is waging in Ukraine, a conflict that has lost media bellows for the human tragedy in the Middle East.