(Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders agreed to call for humanitarian corridors and breaks in the Israel-Hamas war to ensure aid reaches Gaza, after five hours of wrangling.
On the first of two days of talks in Brussels, the leaders urged “continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.”
As western powers work to prevent the conflict spilling into the wider region, the EU has sought to support Israel's right to defend itself, while also trying to protect Palestinian civilians caught in the fighting.
Several countries were concerned to ensure that the joint statement should not jeopardize Israel's expected full ground invasion, or benefit Hamas, according to people familiar with the talks.
“There was a strong call from the leaders that Hamas must immediately release all hostages without any preconditions,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference that followed the discussions. “Hamas is already bringing harm to the Palestinian people. Hamas has provoked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Von der Leyen said that two more flights carrying aid to for the Palestinians are due to depart Friday with more to follow in the coming days. The leaders also called for an international peace conference “soon.”
Member states had earlier disagreed over the wording of the joint statement, with Spain among countries holding out, according to people familiar with the talks. That followed a cascade of contradictory statements in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 attack.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters on his arrival for the summit that he would like to see a cease-fire “for humanitarian purposes,” or at least a humanitarian pause to channel aid. Sanchez said a summit should be organized to reach “a final agreement, a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine with this two-state solution.”
“For me, the point is that humanitarian aid has to reach those people that need aid,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters earlier Thursday.
She added that terrorists could not be equated with the Palestinian people, and Israel should aim to minimize civilian casualties.
UN agencies have warned that health facilities in Gaza are expected to run out of fuel this week and urgently called for more water, food, medicine and fuel to help the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, said earlier this week the 20 aid trucks that entered Gaza last weekend fell far short of the 100 trucks that normally enter the area every day, while suggesting Israel was to blame.
The Israel-Hamas conflict comes as the EU seeks to reassure Ukraine it will maintain support for Kyiv's effort to beat back Russia's invasion, despite concerns about allies' attention being diverted. EU leaders will reaffirm their financial and military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.
But the EU is falling behind on plans to provide Ukraine with a million artillery shells by March, Bloomberg reported earlier Wednesday, potentially giving Russian forces an advantage in the supply of ammunition. Several member states have privately asked the bloc's foreign policy arm to extend their deadline, people familiar with the matter said.
--With assistance from Andra Timu, Boris Groendahl, Marton Eder, Jan Bratanic, Ania Nussbaum and Piotr Skolimowski.
(Updates with comment from von der Leyen in fifth paragraph)
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