European countries condemn Israel over intensified Gaza military offensive

BERLIN - As Israel escalates its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, a growing number of European countries are voicing strong criticism and calling for concrete consequences. The mounting humanitarian crisis has prompted Europe to reconsider its political and economic ties with Israel.

The Gaza-based health authorities said on Wednesday that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the first five days of the latest operation, adding that the total Palestinian death toll since October 2023 has reached 53,655.

Recently, Israel agreed to lift over two months of blockade and allow limited relief into the enclave. A UN spokesman said Tuesday that more aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza, while procedures, security concerns and limited daylight hours for safe operations have thwarted goods delivery.

More European countries have issued sharp condemnations after Israeli forces allegedly fired on Wednesday near a group of foreign diplomats visiting Jenin, in the West Bank, with many also moving to reassess their political and economic relations with Israel.

Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome on Wednesday over the "dramatic" situation in Gaza and the Jenin incident, according to Italy's ANSA news agency. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it "unacceptable" for diplomats to be threatened.

Lithuania's Foreign Ministry has called for Israel's immediate investigation of Wednesday's incident. "We can confirm that a Lithuanian representative in Palestine was visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank with the diplomatic corps at the time of the incident. The Lithuanian representative was unhurt and has already returned to her place of residence. We call on the Israeli government to urgently investigate this incident," Kristina Belikova, spokeswoman for the foreign minister, told the Baltic News Service.

Germany's Federal Foreign Office said Wednesday that it strongly condemns this unprovoked fire. "The role of diplomats as independent observers on the ground is indispensable and in no way represents a threat to Israeli security interests," said the office in a statement. "The Israeli Government must immediately investigate the circumstances and respect the inviolability of diplomats."

Seventeen of the European Union's (EU) 27 foreign ministers on Tuesday backed a Dutch proposal to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Following a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that there is a "strong majority" in favour of reviewing Article 2 of the agreement, which has been in force since 2000, and stipulates that cooperation must be based on "respect for human rights".

"It is high time for the European External Action Service and the European Commission to prepare an opinion and follow-up measures in the face of Israel's blatant violation of the terms of the Association Agreement. Finally, the overwhelming majority of EU countries have joined this call," Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob was quoted as saying on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Tuesday that Britain has suspended trade negotiations with Israel over its Gaza blockade. Lammy also said the Israeli ambassador had been summoned.

Europe's mounting criticism of Israel is fueled by the devastating humanitarian toll in Gaza. Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "The level of suffering, innocent children being bombed again, is utterly intolerable," and went on to say Britain and their French and Canadian allies are "horrified by the escalation from Israel".

He said an "immediate ceasefire" remains "the only way to free the hostages". He also reaffirmed Britain's opposition to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and called for a dramatic scale-up in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In Northern Europe, political leaders from Finland and Sweden expressed serious concern on Monday over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. In coordinated statements shared on X, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, and Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen underscored the urgent need to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to the enclave. They stressed that humanitarian aid must not be politicized and warned that forced displacement constitutes a war crime and must not be part of any proposed resolution.

According to the Austrian news agency APA, a spokeswoman for the Federal Chancellery declared on Tuesday: "International law is clear: Gaza must remain Palestinian, there must be no expulsions," after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he would take complete control of the Gaza Strip. Austria calls for "a realistic solution in accordance with international law with the participation of the Palestinian Authority and the international community".

Slovakia views it absolutely necessary to open a corridor in order to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said Tuesday in Brussels following the EU's Foreign Affairs Council session.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has called the existing humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip "tragic" and said it needs to be resolved through talks with Israel. In his words, Lithuania has a clear position on this issue -- the border crossings must be opened, humanitarian aid must reach the people, and this practice is unacceptable.

In a joint statement issued late on May 16, the prime ministers of Spain, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Malta declared they would not remain silent "in front of the man-made humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place before our eyes in Gaza". "We call upon the government of Israel to immediately reverse its current policy, refrain from further military operations, and fully lift the blockade," they urged.

Britain, France and Canada said on Monday that "if Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid," they will take further concrete actions.

In a joint statement, the three countries said that these actions could include targeted sanctions. They described the recent Israeli escalations in Gaza as "wholly disproportionate", and emphasized that the three countries will not stand by "while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions".

In response, Netanyahu hit back by saying that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies have offered Hamas a "huge prize", calling on "all European leaders" to follow US President Donald Trump's vision for ending the conflict.

On Tuesday, French government spokesperson Sophie Primas raised the possibility of imposing sanctions against Israel due to the Jewish state's recent decisions regarding the Gaza Strip, particularly its decision to take full control of the territory, as announced by the Israeli prime minister on Sunday.

"This could go as far as sanctions, which will obviously be up to the President of the Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to decide. But we hope this situation will end immediately," she said, while asserting that Israel's decisions contravene "all international law".

In the Netherlands, tens of thousands of people gathered in central The Hague on Sunday for a large-scale demonstration condemning Israel's military actions in Gaza. Protesters called on the Dutch government to take stronger measures against Israel and demand an end to the violence.

The demonstration was organized by several aid and human rights groups, along with pro-Palestinian organizations. Many protesters wore red clothing as a symbolic gesture to "draw a red line", urging the Dutch government to set clear limits on its stance regarding Israel's actions.