MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation
15.1.2024 - (2024/2508(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Hilde Vautmans, Sylvie Brunet, Christophe Grudler, Bernard Guetta, Nathalie Loiseau, Karen Melchior, Dragoş Pîslaru, Samira Rafaela, Ramona Strugariu, Dragoş Tudorache, Salima Yenbou
on behalf of the Renew Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0068/2024
B9‑0071/2024
European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks of regional escalation
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions and recommendations on the Middle East conflict, in particular its resolution of 19 October 2023 on the despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza[1],
– having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, in particular resolution 2720 (2023) of 22 December 2023,
– having regard to the Protocol on Economic Relations between the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, representing the Palestinian people, of 29 April 1994 and to the Oslo II Accord of 28 September 1995,
– having regard to international humanitarian law, in particular the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 7 October Hamas terrorists committed a long-planned attack on Israel, deliberately murdering 1 139 Israeli and foreign citizens, including 36 children; whereas more than 100 hostages and captives are still being held in Gaza in terrible conditions; whereas there is ample evidence of widespread sexual violence against Israeli women during and after the attack;
B. whereas, since that attack, the response of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip has resulted in over 23 000 people being killed, including 8 000 children, 60 000 wounded and almost two million displaced, according to figures reported to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); whereas approximately half of the population of Gaza is made up of children; whereas 30 % of all civilian infrastructure has been destroyed; whereas, in particular, water infrastructure, including treatment plants and pipelines, has been largely destroyed or cut off by the Israeli authorities, with only two pipelines reopened in December;
C. whereas over 140 UN staff have been killed, which is the highest death toll in UN history; whereas at least 79 journalists and media workers have been killed, including 18 while carrying out their work, according to Reporters Without Borders; whereas over 600 medical workers and patients have been killed at hospitals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO); whereas over 370 schools have been damaged since 28 December, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund; whereas two thirds of hospitals in Gaza have been destroyed and one third remain barely operational, according to the WHO;
D. whereas the Israeli authorities control the entry to and exit from the Gaza Strip through all border crossing points, including into and out of Egypt; whereas Israeli control over Gaza’s entry and exit points is severely restricting aid and there has been a significant decrease in aid trucks allowed to enter since 7 October, according to the OCHA; whereas 100 % of the population in Gaza is suffering from acute food insecurity, 50 % are experiencing an extreme lack of food and starvation and 26 % are suffering from catastrophic hunger and starvation, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification of 21 December; whereas essential items, including medical equipment and solar panels, have been prevented from entering the Gaza Strip; whereas the EU is leading efforts in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza with funding for UN agencies, medical equipment and other urgent supplies, and it has tripled its aid since 7 October 2023; whereas on 21 November 2023, the Commission reported that ‘no money has been diverted for unintended purposes’ following a review of EU financial assistance for Palestine;
E. whereas the delivery of aid inside the Gaza Strip is being severely hampered by continuous fighting, the prevention of access to parts of the territory and unconfirmed reports of misappropriation by armed forces for their own benefit;
F. whereas there are concerns that major social media platforms may be censoring voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights, so-called shadow banning; whereas access to objective and verifiable information is essential in any conflict;
G. Whereas the Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 330 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October 2023;
H. whereas Egypt has proposed a three-point plan for a permanent ceasefire, including a preliminary humanitarian truce for a renewable two-week period to exchange 40 Israeli hostages for 120 Palestinian prisoners, during which hostilities would cease, tanks withdraw, and essential supplies such as food, medical aid, cooking gas and fuel be allowed in;
I. whereas the Israeli Government has rejected the idea of a permanent ceasefire in the near future; whereas Hamas has called on Muslim countries to provide it with weapons, showing no interest in a lasting ceasefire;
J. whereas the risk of escalation in the region is the highest in decades; whereas Hamas and its allies are pushing for the conflict to spread to the wider region in order to put pressure on Israel; whereas Houthi attacks have targeted commercial shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since 19 November, when they hijacked the Japanese-registered vessel Galaxy Leader; whereas several countries have retaliated militarily;
K. whereas Iran has armed and funded the Houthi rebels, Hezbollah and Hamas; whereas Qatar has provided financial support to Hamas for a long time, with the knowledge and approval of Israel;
1. Underlines the need for a permanent ceasefire and to restart efforts towards a political solution; in this context, reiterates its unwavering support for a negotiated two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 lines with two sovereign, democratic states living side by side in peace and guaranteed security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and in full adherence to international law;
2. Encourages the European External Action Service and the Member States to draw up a European initiative to put the two-state solution back on track; emphasises the absolute necessity of immediately relaunching the peace process; welcomes, in that respect, the Peace Day Effort for Middle East Peace launched just before the attacks by the European Union, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, in cooperation with Egypt and Jordan;
3. Reiterates its full support for the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which proposes a full normalisation of relations between the State of Israel and all Arab states in return for Israel’s full withdrawal from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967;
4. Recalls its support for the normalisation of relations between Israel and all Arab states; calls urgently for the full inclusion of the Palestinian Authority in this process, in line with EU and UN efforts to achieve a two-state solution for peace, security and stability in the region;
5. Urges the Israeli authorities to ensure the continuous access of humanitarian aid to Gaza with an emphasis on the uninterrupted delivery of essentials such as fuel, food, water, medical supplies and shelter, in line with international law, and demands the immediate restoration of vital infrastructures, in particular to prevent the risk of catastrophic hunger and starvation, as well as the possible spread of infectious diseases;
6. Reiterates that the EU is the largest humanitarian and development donor to the Occupied Palestinian Territories; insists that EU development assistance to the Palestinian Authority should not be impeded or interrupted; welcomes the appointment by UN Secretary-General António Guterres of Sigrid Kaag as Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza; welcomes efforts by the EU and its Member States to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza; welcomes the fact that EU humanitarian funding for Gaza has increased fourfold in the last three months; encourages the Member States to continue with their current efforts to treat wounded Palestinian civilians;
7. Reiterates its support for the work of the International Criminal Court in investigating all crimes perpetrated by all parties; reiterates that deliberate attacks on civilians are serious violations of international law, as is the forcible transfer of populations; in this respect, demands justice for Hamas’s victims of unlawful killings and sexual torture during the 7 October attacks; takes note of the case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice;
8. Is concerned about the forcible displacements of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza and underlines the critical need to protect Palestinian civilians in the West Bank from extremist settler violence; urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) to set up a specific sanctions regime against individual violent settlers, including entities responsible for the settlers’ outposts, which constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace;
9. Reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages who have been taken by the terrorist group Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and for the bodies of deceased hostages to be returned;
10. Asks the VP/HR to take all necessary measures to prevent an escalation of the conflict in the wider region and to work on a serious and credible post-war plan in close collaboration with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab states;
11. Supports an increased role of the two EU civilian common security and defence policy missions – the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support and the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point – so that they both participate in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, in improving the efficiency of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and in preparing for its return to the Gaza Strip;
12. Strongly condemns the strikes by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iranian rockets launched from Syria against Israel following the 7 October attacks; is extremely concerned about the hundreds of strikes in southern Lebanon and northern Israel that have taken place since then; warns that another war between Israel and Lebanon would have devastating consequences for both sides;
13. Urges the VP/HR to support all diplomatic efforts to bring all parties to the table following Lebanon’s readiness to reach an agreement on de-escalation; calls for restraint on both sides and immediate de-escalation;
14. Recalls the importance of providing EU support to the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon and Lebanon’s armed forces and internal security forces in order that they fulfil their essential role as Lebanon’s remaining functional state institutions; recalls that all armed groups, including Hezbollah, must disarm in line with UN Security Council resolution 1701;
15. Condemns, in the strongest terms, the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping off the coast of Yemen; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the crew of the Japanese-registered vessel Galaxy Leader, including Romanian and Bulgarian nationals, held since 19 November;
16. Urges the VP/HR to urgently respond to the situation with a strong EU response, in order to protect the right of passage as enshrined in the Montego Bay Convention, building on the EU’s maritime operations in the region such as Atalanta and Agenor; urges the VP/HR to maintain and support the UN-led peace process to end Yemen’s conflict;
17. Calls on the VP/HR to exert pressure in order to prevent the further funding of Hezbollah, in particular by Iran, and to strive to prevent the circumvention of targeted EU sanctions;
18. Is concerned by the outbreak of uninhibited antisemitic acts and speech in Europe since the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October;
19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.
- [1] Texts adopted, P9_TA(2023)0373.