Canada and Over 20 European Countries Urge Israel to Reopen Gaza Medical Corridor

September 23, 2025 | 09:10 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Canada and over 20 European countries on Monday urged Israel to restore the medical corridor between the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so that patients can access emergency care.

In a joint statement, the Canadian Foreign Ministers, along with several European countries—including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland—emphasized their readiness to provide support in the form of funding, medical personnel, and equipment for Palestinians in need of treatment outside Gaza.

"As the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip continues to unfold, there is an urgent need to scale up medical treatment of patients from Gaza," the statement said, as reported by Anadolu.

The ministers also called on Israel to lift the restrictions on the delivery of medicines and medical equipment and to allow the UN and humanitarian partners to carry out "life-saving work."

They referred to UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which calls on Israel to respect and protect medical personnel and ensure their safety and access.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza had prompted her country to join the call for the establishment of a medical "corridor" so that patients could be evacuated from Gaza to receive treatment in the occupied West Bank.

"Together, we call on Israel to open a humanitarian corridor and allow medical supplies into the Gaza Strip," she said in a post on X, as reported by Al Jazeera.

They also offered financial contributions, medical personnel, or needed equipment to care for patients in the West Bank.

In a post on X, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said there was a "broad coalition" behind the proposal, and that it was "important that the international community puts pressure on Israel to give the required permissions."

Since the cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Israel's military has launched a massive onslaught that has killed more than 65,300 Palestinians in Gaza.

The attack has devastated much of the Gaza Strip and left residents in the enclave facing the threat of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the war in the region.

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