Amnesty International strongly criticized the European Council’s conclusions on the Middle East, denouncing them as a “shameful attempt” to justify the Israeli actions in Gaza while failing to explicitly condemn its airstrikes and blockade on humanitarian aid.

"After 17 months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the fact that the EU refuses to name Israel, condemn airstrikes wiping out entire families, or denounce Israel’s blocking of vital humanitarian aid is extraordinary," said Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

She accused EU leaders of "selective compassion towards victims, particularly when they are Palestinian" and urged immediate measures to prevent complicity in "genocide, apartheid, and unlawful occupation."

Geddie further criticized the EU's failure to take decisive action, stating, "The EU leaders’ text is another shameful attempt to justify Israel’s genocide and war crimes against Palestinians. Instead of obfuscating the facts, EU leaders should take clear and decisive action to prevent potential complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, apartheid, and unlawful occupation."

Amnesty urges EU to halt arms sales amid Gaza atrocities

The director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office urged an immediate halt to European arms sales to "Israel," criticizing the EU’s ongoing divisions over its response to the situation in Gaza. She condemned certain member states for continuing to supply weapons and ammunition, arguing that such actions violate their legal obligations to prevent genocide and uphold the Geneva Conventions. Geddie stressed that this practice must stop immediately.

The European Council’s conclusions acknowledged civilian casualties but did not explicitly name "Israel", instead expressing regret over the breakdown of a ceasefire and calling for its full implementation. The statement also urged Hamas to release all remaining captives and emphasized the importance of unrestricted humanitarian aid.

Since March 2, "Israel" has imposed a total blockade on aid, fuel, and medicine, and on March 18, it resumed a large-scale bombing campaign in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has previously ruled that there is a “plausible risk of genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.

The wider context

In violation of a ceasefire agreement, "Israel" renewed early on Tuesday its war on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 504 people, including more than 190 children, according to the civil defense agency in the Palestinian enclave.

On Wednesday, the Israeli occupation announced renewed ground operations in Gaza and issued what it called a "last warning" to residents of the territory to return captives and remove Hamas from power.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that the Israeli occupation military has once again cut off northern Gaza from the central and southern regions and has reestablished control over the Netzarim axis.

In a grim development, Gaza’s Government Media Office declared Wednesday that the enclave has officially entered the first stages of famine, as "Israel’s" suffocating blockade continues to prevent humanitarian and food aid from reaching civilians.

Read more: Trump 'fully supports' Israeli actions in Gaza: White House