BRUSSELS, Monday, February 12, 2024 (WAFA) - A Belgian minister said on Monday that the situation in Rafah, the southern Gazan city where Israel plans a ground invasion, is "very, very dangerous," insisting on continuing support for Palestinians civilians.

"We'll be discussing UNRWA and the situation in Gaza. We live the most dire humanitarian crisis in ages, 1.2 million people are stuck at the border with Rafah. The situation is very, very dangerous," Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez told reporters ahead of an EU informal meeting of development ministers in Brussels.

"That's why it is important that we keep supporting innocent civilians. That we ask for an immediate cease-fire. That we ask for the liberation of the hostages. And that we also ask for more humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip."

Gennez said hostilities must end, adding that "Gazans, Palestinians and Israelis alike have the right to live in peace, to live in security and that's why negotiations must start for a two-state solution."

Belgium holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Jan. 1 to June 30.

K.T