Ireland has joined Spain, Belgium and Malta in urging European Unon leaders meeting in Brussels later this week to call for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza that could lead to an end in hostilities.
A letter jointly signed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the leaders of the other three countries, seen by RTÉ News, declares that Europe's credibility is at stake, and that only a ceasefire will facilitate the entry into Gaza of the levels of humanitarian support needed.
The four member states have generally emphasised the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The letter was sent to President of the European Council Charles Michel, who will chair this week’s summit, saying that the situation in Gaza is now much worse and that a ceasefire is imperative.
"Two months since hostilities broke out, the death toll, the level of destruction, and the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip are alarming," the letter – also signed by prime minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo, president of Spain Pedro Sánchez and prime minister of Malta Robert Abela – states.
The letter is at pains to condemn the Hamas attacks on 7 October and to acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
It calls for a second border crossing into Gaza to be opened at Kerem Shalom to allow humanitarian aid to flow in, given the limitations of the narrow Rafah crossing.
The letter also says the EU should host international peace talks to revive the two-state solution as soon as possible.
"We need to express our deep concern about the unbearable number of casualties in Gaza. Unhindered humanitarian aid must reach those in need immediately, in a sustained manner and in sufficient quantities," the letter added.
"These are dark hours for millions of people in Palestine and Israel. Across Europe anti-Semitic incidents have resurged and this cannot be tolerated. It is time for the European Union to act. Our credibility is at stake."
Meanwhile Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said Ireland could introduce its own travel ban against extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank if sanctions are not agreed at EU level.
Mr Martin is expected to meet the foreign ministers of the other signatory member states during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels today.
Since the Hamas attacks on 7 October, the EU has struggled to present a united and robust front on the war in Gaza.
In advance of the last EU summit at the end of October, there was a fractious debate in which calls for a ceasefire were tempered by countries like Germany, Austria and Hungary, who feared it would constrain Israel’s ability to defeat Hamas.
In the event, EU leaders could only agree on a call for humanitarian pauses to allow aid into Gaza.
Diplomats are still drafting the text for this week’s summit.
It is unclear if other capitals will agree to the joint call, with the debate among foreign ministers getting under way today.
This morning, Israeli tanks are trying to push further west in their battle against Hamas in and around Khan Younis, as they met resistance amid intense combat in a war that has now entered its third month and with no end in sight.
