Kaja Kallas of the EU emphasized the “dangerous escalation” in Gaza subsequent to renewed combat, underscoring the necessity for reinitiating negotiations to resolve the conflict.
ADVERTISEMENTEuropean Union foreign policy head Kaja Kallas urged on Monday that negotiations must restart in response to the escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict last week following unexpected IDF airstrikes on Gaza.
In a presentation in Jerusalem, where she met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Kallas stated, “Violence begets more violence.”
“What we are observing now is a perilous escalation. It is creating unbearable insecurity for the hostages and their families, and also causing horror and death for the Palestinian people,” Kallas noted.
Foreign Minister Sa’ar stated that “the war could conclude tomorrow” if key conditions are met, including the release of hostages in Hamas’ custody, the demilitarisation of Gaza, and “the evacuation of armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad forces.”
“We are eager, and we will be pleased to achieve our objectives through diplomatic measures. However, if that is unfeasible, we are left with no choice but to carry on our military efforts,” Sa’ar clarified.
The truce that commenced in January had paused over a year of fighting triggered by Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023, during which its fighters killed about 1,200 individuals, primarily pirates, and took 251 hostages. The majority of these prisoners have since been freed through truce agreements or other arrangements.
In the first stage of the truce, 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others were exchanged for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli military later permitted hundreds of thousands of individuals to return home, and increased humanitarian assistance was provided until Israel halted all supplies to Gaza earlier this month to push Hamas into further talks on the agreement.
The parties were expected to commence discussions in early February regarding the next phase of the truce, which would involve the release of the remaining 59 hostages — of whom at least half are presumed dead — in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners, a permanent truce, and an Israeli withdrawal. However, these discussions never took place.
“Reinitiating negotiations is the sole viable path to halt the suffering on all sides,” Kallas restated.
Moreover, Kallas stressed that the EU does not envision a role for Hamas in the future administration of the Strip, and is prepared to partake in discussions about Gaza’s future to assist in securing enduring peace.
