EU expresses 'grave concern' over Gaza situation, calls for immediate return to ceasefire

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The European Union voiced grave concern Tuesday over the situation in Gaza, which has been exacerbated by ongoing Israeli attacks, and urged an immediate return to a ceasefire.

"The EU is deeply concerned about recurring incidents resulting in the death of humanitarian aid workers, and calls for accountability," said Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, the head of the delegation of the European Union to the UN.

He calls for unhindered humanitarian aid access and distribution in Gaza, as well as the immediate restoration of electricity to the Gaza Strip.

"In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law in all circumstances," Lambrinidis said during an open Security Council discussion on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question."

The ambassador noted that the bloc also strongly condemns the escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the resistance group Hamas.

Over 52,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Turning to Syria, Lambrinidis said Syria's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within secure borders must be fully respected.

"The EU calls on Israel to uphold the terms of the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria."

He stressed that the demilitarized buffer zone must be respected.

Israel has mounted a massive air campaign against Syrian military sites since the downfall of the Assad regime in December.

The Israeli army occupied the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights in early December, violating a 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria in a move that expanded Israel's control over the territory, most of which it has occupied since the 1967 Middle East War.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the regime of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.