Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have written to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, expressing deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Gaza.
The pair have also called for an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU/Israel Association Agreement.
They asked the commission to propose appropriate measures to be taken by the European Union if it considers that Israel is in breach of the agreement.
The expanded Israeli military operation in the Rafah area poses a grave and imminent threat that the international community must urgently confront, the letter says.
The leaders reiterated their total condemnation of Hamas’s terrorist attacks of 7 October and Israel’s right to defend itself, but insist that this must be in line with international law and international humanitarian law, including in the obligation to protect civilians.
An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is urgently needed to prevent irreversible harm to the people in Gaza, Mr Varadkar and Mr Sanchez said.
They also recalled the provisional measures adopted by the ICJ, which require Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
UNWRA, the embattled United Nations agency tasked with helping Palestinian refugees, must be allowed to continue its vital work saving lives and addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, the said.
The letter added that EU support to UNWRA must be maintained, saying there is no pathway to achieving the urgent massive and sustained scale-up in humanitarian assistance without UNWRA playing a central role.
