Several EU foreign ministers expressed their horror at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called on Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement to agree to a ceasefire.
“This is in fact a war against the Palestinians, not just Hamas,” said Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, who described the civilian casualties as “unconscionable”.
“The immense suffering of the civilian population in Gaza must stop,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib called the fighting in Gaza a “tragedy, a humanitarian catastrophe” and warned of an escalation of violence in the West Bank.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined the call for a ceasefire, saying the situation in the West Bank “must not escalate”.
Sigrid Kaag, a senior UN official coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza, said the destruction and human suffering “are of an unprecedented magnitude in the 21st century.”
