European leaders condemn new Israeli strikes on Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Mar 2025 16:23
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French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticized "Israel’s" renewed airstrikes on Gaza, describing them as a major regression after the ceasefire with Hamas.

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A Palestinian father holds the body of his child who has been killed by overnight Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City before the burial, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned "Israel’s" renewed airstrikes on Gaza, calling them a significant setback following the earlier ceasefire with Hamas.

"The resumption of Israeli strikes yesterday, despite the efforts of mediators, represents a dramatic step backward," Macron said in Paris alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

He stressed that the escalation was devastating for both Palestinians, who "are again plunged into the terror of bombardment," and the Israeli captives and their families, who remain trapped in a "nightmare of uncertainty."

The brutal Israeli strikes have killed over 400 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. On Wednesday, fresh Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 people.

King Abdullah described the strikes as "an extremely dangerous step that adds further devastation to an already dire humanitarian situation," urging the international community to "act immediately and collectively push for restoring the ceasefire and the implementation of its phases." He also condemned the Israeli blockade of aid, water, and electricity to Gaza, calling them "escalatory measures that risk the lives of a severely vulnerable population."

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also voiced concern, saying the strikes were "shattering the tangible hopes of so many Israelis and Palestinians of an end to suffering on all sides." Speaking before a trip to Lebanon, she urged "all sides" to "show restraint, respect humanitarian law, and return to talks," adding that "the lives of dozens of hostages, including Germans… (and) of many thousands of Palestinians depend on peace."

Baerbock cautioned that the renewed fighting jeopardizes "the positive efforts of Arab states who want to chart a peaceful path for Gaza, free from Hamas." She also called on the United States to exert its influence in the region, saying, "I am appealing in particular to the USA to use its regional influence… now, because the security of the wider Middle East is affected by this." She further warned of a "serious risk of wider regional escalation," particularly as "the situation in Lebanon has stabilized and there have been steps towards settling the conflict at the Israeli-Lebanese border."

EU calls for an immediate ceasefire

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas criticized "Israel’s" actions, calling the renewed military campaign in Gaza "unacceptable". She told reporters in Brussels that she had questioned Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar directly, saying, "Yesterday I also talked to Foreign Minister Sa’ar… what is happening, why are you doing this. And I mean, also conveying the message that this is unacceptable." She noted that her concerns were specifically about "the loss of civilian lives."

Kallas announced she would travel to Egypt to meet with the “Arab Quint” — Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — to discuss increasing diplomatic pressure on "Israel".

The EU, in a joint statement with European commissioners, condemned the collapse of the ceasefire and the civilian casualties caused by Israeli airstrikes. "The EU deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and the deaths of civilians, including children, in Israeli airstrikes," the statement read, calling for "Israel" to end the offensive and for Hamas to release all captives.

"The EU believes that the resumption of negotiations is the only way forward," it concluded.