Gaza again under bombs, without aid or food. But EU summit does not condemn Israel

Brussels – More than 500 Palestinian casualties in 48 hours, and Israel preventing humanitarian aid, water, and food from entering for three weeks. The truce in Gaza is now a distant memory. As Tel Aviv also expands land operations and Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens the population of collective punishment, anger mounts in major Israeli cities against the resumption of hostilities “for political reasons.” From Brussels, EU heads of state and government miss another opportunity to raise their voices in support of international law.

The European Council is underway in the EU capital. Originally conceived to advance on the issue of competitiveness, it embraced, of necessity, the latest developments in defence, Ukraine, and the Middle East. However, among the leaders, the only ones to insist on the seriousness of the new Israeli offensive were the prime ministers of Spain and Ireland. The same ones who, already more than a year ago, had asked the European Commission to consider a review of the Association Agreement with Tel Aviv. Pedro Sanchez openly accused Israel of “trampling again” on international humanitarian law in Gaza. At the same time, Micheál Martin pointed out that the raids that began Tuesday in several areas of the Strip were launched “without any warning” to the population, in “what appears to be an indiscriminate bombardment of Palestinian homes and families.”

The Irish liberal called “shocking” the video message released by Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, in which he addresses “the residents of Gaza”, threatening them to “pay the full price” of resumed fighting. “Return the hostages and remove Hamas—the alternative is total devastation,” the Israeli minister intimated. A message that encapsulates the intention to criminalise and inflict collective punishment on the Palestinian people. Martin hoped that “the EU and the United States will put as much pressure as possible on Israel to stop this.”

Nothing could be further from the position taken so far by Brussels, let alone Washington (which indeed confirmed that it had approved the resumption of hostilities). Not even the presence at the summit of a “saddened and shocked” Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, who reminded that “the Palestinian people have already suffered too much,” convinced the 27 to condemn the Israeli raids that decreed the end of the truce after just two months.

Indeed, if possible, the leaders took a step backwards: in the conclusions approved by the European Council, the “condemnation” of the “recent air strikes on Gaza, which have caused a large number of civilian casualties,” which was present in the draft document until the evening of March 18, disappeared. Too divisive, and therefore replaced by the weaker formula: “The European Council deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza, which has caused a large number of civilian casualties in recent air strikes.” To which was added disapproval of “the refusal of Hamas to hand over the remaining hostages.”

The 27 call for “an immediate return to full implementation of the ceasefire agreement” and “stress the need to progress toward its second phase.” The summit’s final document also calls for the “immediate resumption” of “unimpeded access of large-scale humanitarian assistance to Gaza, as well as the provision of electricity, including for water desalination plants.” Because, as denounced today by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, “the Israeli authorities continue to impede the entry of any humanitarian aid and basic supplies for three weeks now.”

If nothing moves in Brussels and Washington, anger mounts in major Israeli cities over the resumption of hostilities. Thousands have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and more protests are expected in the coming days. The immediate trigger was Netanyahu’s attempt to fire the head of the Shin Bet, the internal security agency, but the protesters, led by the families of hostages, accuse the government of resuming the war purely for political reasons, jeopardising the survival of the hostages it claims to want to save at any cost.