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Clouds of smoke in Gaza: European Union calls for “humanitarian pause”
Photo: Jamal Awad / Xinhua / IMAGO
Against the background of the catastrophic conditions for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the states of the European Union are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the area. EU Council President Charles Michel announced this in the evening after talks between heads of state and government at the EU summit in Brussels.
This should lead to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the provision of humanitarian aid, according to a statement adopted by the heads of state and government.
Israel is also urged not to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip, which would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and prevent urgently needed basic humanitarian assistance. Around 1.5 million civilians currently live in the city - most of them are refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip.
The decision of the International Court of Justice of January 26th is also mentioned as the background to the demand. It gave Israel a binding mandate under international law to do everything possible to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip. All parties to the conflict must adhere to international law, including international humanitarian law.
Weeks of discussions
The agreement on the declaration was preceded by weeks of discussions between the member states. Originally, statements on the Middle East conflict were to be published at summit meetings in December and early February. But the states were unable to agree on a line.
Countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary in particular consider it inappropriate to call on Israel to show great restraint after the massacre by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th. On the other side, there are countries like Spain that consider Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip to be contrary to international law and would like a stronger reaction from the EU. Germany, which was initially in the camp of Israel's biggest supporters, now occupies a middle position.
The Israeli army has launched a major offensive in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack on Israel. In recent weeks, warnings from Western governments have increased that Israel must take full responsibility for caring for the approximately two million civilians. According to the UN, at least 576,000 people - a quarter of Gaza's population - are at risk of starvation.
aeh/dpa/Reuters