Aid groups urge Dutch cabinet to toughen stance on Gaza

Five major aid organisations on Monday called on the Dutch government to take a much clearer stand against the escalating violence in Gaza, saying diplomatic pressure alone is not enough to persuade Israel to change course.

Representatives of Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, Pax, Save the Children and Doctors without Borders met prime minister Dick Schoof and foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp on Monday morning to outline their concerns.

However, they said after the meeting that the cabinet is unwilling to go beyond calling on Israel to act in line with international humanitarian law.

“The cabinet does not have a red line and they maintain you can achieve more using diplomatic resources,” Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib, told broadcaster NOS. “That really shocked us.”

The organisations said Israel’s renewed bombardment and the blockade on food, water, fuel and medicine has made it impossible to operate. Attacks on hospitals are increasing, said Karel Hendriks of Doctors without Borders.

“We are talking about air attacks, about being shot at by tanks, and about systematically wrecking medical equipment — one bullet per piece of apparatus,” he said.

Schoof later responded on social media, stating that the cabinet is “not deaf to the criticism”.

The cabinet is “continuing to hold Israel to account when it comes to humanitarian rules of warfare, in particular its responsibility to guarantee safe, unhindered humanitarian access,” he said.