Greece’s government is under mounting fire from opposition parties for its refusal to join a growing international outcry over Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza. As a deepening humanitarian catastrophe grips the enclave, with the United Nations warning that as many as 14,000 infants could die from hunger and lack of medical care within days, Athens' failure to take a stand has sparked fierce political backlash.
A joint statement this week by the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Canada called on Israel to immediately lift all barriers to the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
The declaration, signed so far by 24 countries including Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Australia, emphasized that Gaza is facing the risk of famine and that aid must be allowed to flow without delay. The European Union also announced a formal review of its trade agreement with Israel, citing concerns over possible violations of international humanitarian law, while the UK suspended its ongoing trade negotiations with the Netanyahu government.
Greece, notably absent from the list of signatories, has been sharply criticized for its silence. Opposition parties say this inaction stands in stark contrast to the country’s longstanding commitment to international law and human rights. They accuse the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of isolating Greece diplomatically at a moment of profound global concern.
“The government must abandon its policy of silence,” said Dimitris Mantzos, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition PASOK party. He described the scenes unfolding in Gaza - widespread destruction, mass civilian casualties, and children dying from starvation - as a moral emergency that demands a clear and principled response. “This is not a time for indifference,” Mantzos added. “The government must actively support every initiative for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the path toward a two-state solution.”
Kostas Zachariadis, an MP from the leftist SYRIZA party, accused the Mitsotakis government of caring more about Israel’s performance in the Eurovision Song Contest than its actions in Gaza. “What a disgrace,” he wrote. “To witness this brutality and remain silent is inexcusable.”
The left-wing New Left party issued perhaps the harshest rebuke, calling the government’s stance “a black mark in the history of the Greek state” and accusing it of siding with “a murderous regime” in Tel Aviv. “It is shameful that, while thousands of civilians are dying in agony from hunger and lack of medicine, the Greek government allows itself to be led by the supporters of a bloodthirsty leader,” the party declared.
Adding to the chorus of criticism, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas questioned how Greece—a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council—could justify not signing a humanitarian appeal backed by most of its Western allies. Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the center-left Movement of Democracy, directly called on Mitsotakis to break his silence. “You must take a position in the face of genocide,” he said.
Even outside of partisan politics, voices like that of Gavriil Sakellaridis, a former government spokesperson, have framed the issue as a fundamental test of humanity. “Every minute that passes, death blankets Gaza,” he wrote, echoing Holocaust survivor Primo Levi’s haunting words. “If this is called being human, we are with Palestine.”
