European Union leaders called on Thursday for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in the war in Gaza “leading to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.” Since the war began, it is the first time that the EU as a whole has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, since when leaders last discussed the issue in October, They only reached an agreement to request “humanitarian pauses”. “Strong and united statement from European leaders on the Middle East,” said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on his official account on the X social network.

EU leaders, who showed their “firm commitment to a sustainable and lasting peace based on two states”, urged Israel on Thursday to “not carry out a ground operation in Rafah”, according to the text of conclusions of the summit held today in Brussels. They recognized Israel’s right to defend itself from the Hamas attack on October 7, but noted that it must do so “in line with international humanitarian law” and were “deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

For this reason, they said that it is “essential” that “complete, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” to the Strip be carried out, “through all possible routes.” In this sense, they celebrated the opening of the humanitarian maritime corridor that has been opened from Cyprus, although they said that the land route “continues to be the main one to deliver the volumes (of humanitarian aid) that are necessary.”

The European leaders stressed that the services offered by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees are “essential” and in the midst of controversy over Israel’s criticism that twelve of the agency’s workers supported Hamas in its attack on Israel, they celebrated that UNRWA has launched an internal investigation and another external one to analyze the facts. And following the decision by ten EU countries to suspend funding to UNRWA following Israel’s accusations, European Council leaders “took note” of the European Commission’s recent decision to continue funding the agency.

European leaders They were also “dismayed” by the report of the UN special representative Pramila Patten claiming that sexual violence occurred during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. In addition, they demanded new sanctions against Hamas members, after those that the EU approved last Monday against three of them. They also called for more sanctions against Israeli settlers who have carried out violence in West Bank settlements, following which the EU also approved on Monday against six individuals.