– CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY –

The EU supports the UN Secretary General’s call for the UN Security Council to act to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the collapse of the humanitarian system. Urgent action is needed to ensure the protection of all civilians. The EU deplores the high number of civilian casualties killed, the majority of which are women and children.

We commend the strong efforts of the UN and all humanitarian actors to deliver lifesaving aid in extremely dire conditions. We deplore the deaths of a record number of UN staff members and other humanitarian workers, who have paid the ultimate price.

Full respect of international law and international humanitarian law by all sides is of paramount importance. We urge all sides to respect these principles, and note that there must be accountability for violations of international law.

The EU calls for the urgent implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2712, and supports its call for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable, consistent with international humanitarian law, full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access. The civilian population is in desperate need of more food, water, fuel, electricity, and medical care, as well as safe shelter. We regret that since the end of the humanitarian pause, the entry of humanitarian aid has declined from already insufficient levels. Access to these necessities must be urgently restored at sufficient levels to address the very high level of need, and we call for establishing additional routes to bring in life-saving aid to Gaza.

The EU stands ready to continue its support, while it has already increased its humanitarian aid to more than 100 million euros. The EU and its member states will continue to work closely with international partners, the UN and other agencies as well as countries in the region.

There is no justification for terror. The European Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms Hamas’ brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international law and international humanitarian law. All hostages must be immediately released, and ICRC must be granted access to them and allowed to bring them required medical support.

The EU continues efforts with its partners to prevent regional escalation, and we continue to engage with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, as well as other regional and international partners to this end. We call on regional actors to refrain from any action that can further aggravate the situation. The Palestinian Authority must be supported by all members of the international community, and it must be reinvigorated to ultimately return to govern Gaza as the legitimate Palestinian governance body in charge of the whole occupied Palestinian territory. Democratic Palestinian institutions based on respect for the rule of law and human rights are vital for the Palestinian people.

The EU deplores the increased extremist settler violence in the West Bank, and recalls that Israel has the duty to protect civilians in the West Bank, to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure that the IDF intervenes. Furthermore, in line with the EU’s commitment to implement UNSCR 2334 and recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two state solution impossible, the EU reiterates its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and actions taken in this context.

The EU underlines that the only sustainable solution that will bring security to the Middle East is peace. The European Union is ready to contribute to reviving a political process on the basis of the two-state solution, including through the Peace Day Effort, and welcomes diplomatic peace and security initiatives and supports the holding of an international peace conference soon.