The European Commission announced on Sunday that it would provide an extra 3 million euros (some US$4.2 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip "as rapidly as possible" to meet the basic needs of people affected by the Israeli airstrikes.

The executive arm of the European Union (EU) also called on Israel to ensure a smooth passage for the humanitarian aid.

"Blocking access to people who are suffering and dying is also a breach of humanitarian law. I call on the Israeli authorities to respect their international obligations and ensure a 'humanitarian space' for the delivery of vital relief," said European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel.

The latest aid, the first humanitarian funding earmarked by the European Commission in 2009, will be focused on food, emergency shelter repairs and further medical support, according to the Commission.

In 2008, the European Commission provided more than 73 million euros in humanitarian assistance for victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts in the Palestinian territories, of which 56 percent was for relief activities in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cast Lead operation entered its eighth day on Saturday, with the IDF starting its ground incursion into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, vowing to destroy "terror infrastructure" of Hamas.

Since December 27, the Israeli airstrikes against the Gaza Strip had left more than 450 people dead and thousands of others injured.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2009)