Ursula von der Leyen calls for immediate ‘humanitarian pause’ leading to ‘sustainable ceasefire’ in Gaza.

EU leaders to call for ‘humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire’: draft

At a summit next week, EU leaders are set outline concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call for “an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire,” according to draft conclusions seen by the Guardian.

The leaders are also expected to reiterate their stance condemning Hamas and calling for the immediate release of all hostages.

While officials caution that the text, which is dated March 11, is still in an early phase and could change, it provides a starting point for discussions ahead of the summit, where the EU’s 27 heads of state and government will discuss a range of pressing issues.

According to the current draft, the leaders will declare:

The European Council is deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and its disproportionate effect on children, as well as the imminent risk of famine.

Full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip is essential to provide the civilian population with life-saving assistance and basic services at scale.

The European Council welcomes the opening of a maritime route for emergency assistance from Cyprus to Gaza.

Immediate measures should be taken to prevent any further population displacement and provide safe shelter to the population.

The European Council urges the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance.

The leaders are also set to address UNRWA.

The European Council stresses that the services UNRWA provides across the region are indispensable and welcomes the recent EU financial support provided. It welcomes the swift launch by the UN of an internal investigation and external review following the serious allegations against 12 UNRWA staff about their alleged participation in the 7 October terrorist attacks.

They are also set to call “for restraint in the West Bank and East Jerusalem” and “strongly” condemn “extremist settler violence.”

And, they will call “on all actors to refrain from escalatory actions.”

The European Union remains firmly committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution. Palestinians and Israelis have an equal right to live in safety, dignity and peace. The European Council condemns Israeli Government decisions to further expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank. It urges Israel to reverse these decisions. The European Council calls on all parties to refrain from actions that undermine the principle of the two-state solution and the viability of a future Palestinian state.