Israel’s allies in Europe and Canada are threatening sanctions if the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza does not increase significantly in the coming days and the fighting does not stop.
On Monday, the first few trucks of aid entered the Gaza Strip after three months of a strict blockade imposed by Israel as part of its ongoing war against the Hamas terrorist organization.
According to a statement released by the Israeli authority in charge of humanitarian aid, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, “Five UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food for babies, were transferred” into Gaza.
“The Israel Defense Forces will continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip while making every effort to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas,” the statement read, addressing a major Israeli concern throughout the war that the terrorist organization was taking over the humanitarian aid and using it for its own sustenance.
France, the United Kingdom, and Canada labeled the move “wholly inadequate” in a joint statement released by their leaders hours later.
The aid that entered was against the will of much of the Israeli coalition. It came after significant pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the allowance of a “basic amount of food” into Gaza was meant to “prevent a crisis of hunger which would endanger Israel’s ability to continue” its military operation against Hamas.
We do not want to see a humanitarian crisis, and we will not allow it to occur on President Trump’s watch
“We do not want to see a humanitarian crisis, and we will not allow it to occur on President Trump’s watch,” Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, told ABC on Sunday.
“It is very clear that the international community is drawing a limit here,” Dr. Roby Nathanson, head of the Tel Aviv-based Macro Center for Political Economics, told The Media Line. “Israel is quite isolated and will gradually be left with no leverage.”
Famine warnings from numerous humanitarian organizations prompted France, the UK, and Canada to demand in their joint statement that Israel “stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow the entry of humanitarian aid.”
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“The content is not surprising as the position of these countries has been known for a while,” Baruch Bina, a former Israeli ambassador and senior Foreign Ministry official, told The Media Line. “What is surprising is the bluntness and the very public way this has been done by the three countries together, giving it significant weight.”
According to Bina, actual sanctions are not likely imminent.
“This would require a much more serious commitment from these countries and a certain degree of coordination with the US,” he explained. For now, the Trump administration is backing Israel’s military effort in Gaza and has laid the blame for the death toll in Gaza and the humanitarian situation on Hamas.
Bina adds that the threat from large economies and significant powers in the international arena requires significant attention from Israel.
“This is a wake-up call,” he said.
It would not be the first time during the war that the international community has closed in on Israel, with the Jewish state finding dwindling support in the international arena.
Throughout the war, Israel has come under intense international pressure regarding its conduct. It is also facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Israel denies the claims and insists its actions against Hamas and Gaza are necessary to remove the threat the terrorist organization poses. Despite international censure, Israel has persisted in its effort.
The statement by the UK, Canada, and France came hours after Israel scaled up its military action against Hamas in a push to pressure the terrorist group to release the remaining 58 Israeli hostages being held there since the war began on October 7, 2023. Gaza came under intense aerial bombardment and ground operations, 19 months into the war, when the territory had already been severely hit.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, the Gaza-based terrorist organization welcomed the step by the Western countries, calling it “a step in the right direction.”
Hamas stunned Israel with its attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped over 250 people. In response, Israel launched a massive retaliation. Since then, Gaza has been devastated, with large areas rendered unrecognizable. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the beginning of the war, with over 120,000 people injured. The death toll does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists, with Israel claiming many of the dead are Hamas operatives. UN data suggests the majority of houses in Gaza have been destroyed, with almost 2 million residents internally displaced. Since October 2023, and almost without interruption, barring two ceasefires, the Israeli military has been pounding Gaza relentlessly.
“Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate,” the joint French, British, and Canadian statement continued, calling for the immediate release of the hostages. “We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”
“These threats are very credible,” Nathanson said. “We have already seen the Biden administration impose a weapons embargo on Israel. In this stage, additional sanctions would be highly effective and are taken very seriously by the Israeli government.”
“Israel has a lot to lose,” he added. “It needs to stop the war as soon as possible.”
Israel has a lot to lose
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Israel has faced several arms embargoes from various countries, in addition to the de facto American one that has since been overturned by the Trump administration. Canada halted arms sales to Israel. Japanese conglomerate Itochu Corporation ended its partnership with Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems following an ICJ ruling that found South Africa’s claim—that Israel’s actions in Gaza could fall under the Genocide Convention—was plausible. Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy also suspended arms exports to Israel, reflecting growing international discontent with the Jewish state.
The government approval of the aid on Monday was met with an outcry from some of Netanyahu’s supporters, who blamed him for caving to international pressure. Other voices in the coalition expressed understanding of the position Israel is in. The opposition has been calling for the end of the war in the hope that it will lead to the immediate release of the hostages. The debate over humanitarian aid to Gaza has been raging in the country since the beginning of the war. The call and threat from Israel’s allies were used domestically by both sides as another point in the ongoing argument.
“This additional international pressure is part of the puzzle that happens when Israel does something that is not supported by a wider consensus inside Israel and neither by the international community,” Nathanson said.
“By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities,” was Netanyahu’s response to the joint statement. “Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.”
The Israeli premier has acknowledged that it needs the support of its allies and cannot afford images of hunger in Gaza.
Israel plans to establish Hamas-free distribution hubs overseen by private contractors to prevent aid from reaching the terrorist organization. The plan, devised with the current American administration, is a contentious one that has drawn criticism from international organizations that claim Israel is “weaponizing” humanitarian aid.
Reports on Tuesday indicated that talks being held in Qatar in an attempt to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal were close to collapsing. Should this be the case, Israel has vowed it will further intensify its military action in Gaza, risking the chance of more international criticism, isolation, and perhaps sanctions.