European countries call for a permanent truce to stop the ‘massacre’ in Gaza

On the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Brussels on Monday, several European Union countries called for a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to stop the "massacre."

Leaders of Ireland, Spain, Malta, and Belgium said in a letter sent to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, "We must immediately call on all parties to declare a humanitarian truce leading to the cessation of hostilities."

Upon his arrival in Brussels, Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin explained that this step aims to "stop the massacre, the shedding of innocent civilian blood."

These four countries urge the European Union to adopt a strong position during the EU leaders' meeting on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

In another letter to the EU foreign minister, Josep Borrell, France, Italy, and Germany call for imposing new sanctions on Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, and Israel, for its unprecedented attack on the Israeli state on October 7th, resulting in the death of 1,200 people.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said, "The three of us, France, Italy, and Germany, proposed the establishment of a new sanctions regime targeting Hamas, which is already classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union for a long time in this way."

Hamas is already subject to sanctions, but "we must go further and allow for the targeting of additional individuals," according to Colonna.

Colonna pointed out that many EU foreign ministers expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza upon their arrival in Brussels on Monday, which has become critical.

Several ministers also expressed concern about the situation in the West Bank, where Israeli extremists killed dozens of Palestinians.

Belgium's Foreign Minister affirmed the need for action, saying, "I will call for reporting violent settlers and banning them throughout the Schengen area."

For her part, Colonna indicated that France is considering "adopting national measures."

AFP