By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Earlier on Sunday, Ben-Gvir said on X that the transfer of humanitarian aid and fuel should be stopped “until all our abductees are returned home.”

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has described the statement by Israel’s Minister of National Security calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza to be cut, as an “incitement to war crimes.”

“While the World pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians,” Borrell said on X late on Sunday. “Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes.”

“Sanctions must be on our EU agenda,” he added and urged “the Israeli government to unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes, and call it to engage in good faith in the negotiations facilitated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt for an immediate ceasefire. “

While the World pushes for a ceasefire in #Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians.

Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda.

I support UN @Volker_Turk in his strong condamnations. 1/2

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 11, 2024

Earlier on Sunday, Ben-Gvir said on X that the transfer of humanitarian aid and fuel should be stopped “until all our abductees are returned home.”

He also said “encourage immigration and occupy the territories of the Gaza Strip in order to them in our hands permanently,” adding “It’s in our hands!”

His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said an Israeli delegation would attend ceasefire talks on Thursday, reported The Times of Israel.

ערוצי החמאס מפרסמים הבוקר שוב סרטון הקורא לרצוח אותי. אני לא נבהל מהם – את חמאס צריך להמשיך לכתוש, לדרוך לו על הראש עד כניעתו המוחלטת ולא להרים לו ב"פסגה", אלא להפסיק את העברת הסיוע ההומניטרי והדלק עד החזרת כל החטופים שלנו הביתה, לעודד הגירה ולכבוש את שטחי הרצועה לשם החזקתם…

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) August 11, 2024

In an interview with an Israeli radio station, Ben-Gvir claimed “We are crushing Hamas,” and added, “So, now we should go to a conference and surrender?”

He called the decision “a serious mistake by the prime minister.”

‘Justified and Moral’

The far-right minister then reiterated his calls to cut off fuel supply and aid to Gaza.

“If we cut off their fuel, within a week they would be on their knees. And if we stop the (aid) trucks, within two weeks they would be on their knees. So why are we going to do a deal, especially such an irresponsible deal?” he reportedly said.

Last week, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel allows aid into the Gaza Strip “even though” the deaths of two million Palestinians in the blockaded enclave from hunger” might be justified and moral.”

Killing Two Million Gazans is ‘Justified and Moral’ – Smotrich on Israel’s Starvation Policy

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since the October 7 resistance operation, leaving the enclave’s entire population on the verge of famine.

Staggering Death Toll

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,897 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,152 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

‘Majority of Bakeries Ceased Operations in Gaza’ – Gaza Authorities Warn of Humanitarian Crisis

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(The Palestine Chronicle)