The European Union has agreed to review its cooperation deal with Israel, after a clear majority of member states supported a Dutch proposal to do so.
The bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the EU was acting after "a strong majority" of its 27 member states backed the move, in a meeting of EU foreign ministers, in a bid to pressure Israel.
Diplomats said 17 EU states pressed for review at the Brussels meeting under Article two of the agreement that calls for a respect for human rights.
Nine member states opposed the initiative: Germany, Hungary, Italy, Czechia, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Greece and Bulgaria.
"What it says is that the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable, and what we want is to really help the people, and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people," Ms Kallas told journalists.
Momentum to re-examine the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which forms the basis for trade ties between the two sides, has grown since Israel restarted its offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire expired.
Ms Kallas said the aid trucks Israel allowed into Gaza was a "drop in the ocean" compared to suffering faced by the people inside the territory. Israel said that 93 aid trucks entered the territory.
The Netherlands spearheaded the latest push over a year after two staunch backers of the Palestinian cause, Spain and Ireland, failed to convince the bloc to suspend the accord.
Israel has rejected the EU's decision to review the deal.
"We completely reject the direction taken in the statement, which reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a post on X.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, signed in 1995, governs political and economic relations between Israel and the bloc. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner.
The Dutch proposal mirrors an Irish-Spanish request in February last year that ultimately led to a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council.
That meeting, held in February, resulted in Israel facing strong criticism from some member states for its conduct of the Gaza war, but the Irish-Spanish initiative failed to trigger any trade sanctions against Israel.
The development signals a significant hardening of attitudes among EU member states towards Israel, especially over the need to restore humanitarian support in much bigger volumes.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed the decision to review the agreement, saying Israel "cannot act with impunity against all international humanitarian laws and norms."
In a statement, Mr Martin said that Ireland will work to ensure the review happens quickly and "its conclusions are acted upon".
"Many thousands of Palestinians have been killed and maimed in a brutal military operation, the brunt of which has been borne by an innocent civilian population," he said.
Mr Martin added: "Thousands more are at the brink of starvation, with the UN warning that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if aid doesn't reach them.
"Israel must know that the world is watching and that we will not stand by."
On Monday, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris jointly wrote to Ms Kallas alongside his Spanish, Slovenian and Luxembourgish counterparts pledging support for the Dutch proposal and calling for "concrete and meaningful action" on relations with Israel.
The letter, seen by RTÉ News, said that the situation in Gaza had "markedly deteriorated" since the meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council in February and that the "unprecedented gravity" required urgent action.
The four member states said that Ms Kallas did not require consensus among member states in order to carry out a review of the agreement.
The ministers said: "At the EU-Israel Association Council in February, the EU recalled that relations between the EU and Israel shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, an essential element of the Association Agreement.
"Each of the EU's relationships must be grounded in respect for international law and our fundamental principles.
"It is clear that the situation has markedly deteriorated since this meeting, including on a range of issues where the EU expressed its clear concerns.
"It is, therefore, time to invest genuine meaning in Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement by following through with concrete and meaningful action."
The letter stated that an analysis carried out by the EU's Special Representative for Human Rights last year had justified a "special urgency" for the EU to assess whether or not Israel was in breach of its human rights obligations.
Review an 'important decision'
Mr Harris has described the move as an "important decision" that reflects "the grave concerns held by member states" over Israel's actions in Gaza.
"Ireland and Spain first called for this step in February 2024," Mr Harris said.
He added: "Since then, the situation has become immeasurably worse, with catastrophic consequences for the civilian population and a real risk of famine.
"...a clear majority of member states agreed on the need to send a strong signal to Israel to reverse course, to halt its military operations and to lift the blockade on lifesaving aid."
Ahead of the vote, Minister of State for International Development Neale Richmond said the debate had been highly emotive.
He told RTÉ News: "The rhetoric at the council [of foreign ministers] level isn't perhaps what it was a year ago.
Watch: Ireland stresses 'absolute support' for review of EU-Israel Association Agreement - Richmond
UK pauses trade talks with Israel over actions in Gaza
The UK government has paused free trade negotiations with Israel and slapped new sanctions on West Bank settlers to protest against Israel's actions in Gaza.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also announced his ministry was summoning the Israeli ambassador over Israel's expansion of its military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In the House of Commons, Mr Lammy said: "We have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement."
He said the UK is reviewing its co-operation with the Israeli administration, adding: "The Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary."
Israel has said that external pressure will not "divert it from its path in defending its existence".
"If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy - that is its own prerogative," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement.
"External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction."
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