Switzerland: Humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels

Switzerland’s foreign ministry has said that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has reached “catastrophic levels”, warning that winter conditions are making the crisis even worse.

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, the ministry said that Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis supports a joint statement launched by the United Kingdom. The statement calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to Gaza, to lift excessive restrictions on reusable goods, and to open border crossings to allow aid to be delivered on a large scale.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland issued a joint statement on humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The statement expressed deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged the Israeli government to lift restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.

Although the war ended after a ceasefire came into force on 10 October 2025, living conditions have not seen significant improvement. This is due to Israel’s failure to meet its commitments, including allowing in the agreed amounts of food, relief supplies, medical aid and mobile homes.

READ: European nations, Canada, Japan voice ‘serious concerns’ about ongoing Gaza crisis