EU unveils toughest measures yet to pressure Israel amid Gaza conflict

The European Union on Wednesday presented its most stringent plan to date aimed at pressuring Israel to end the war in Gaza, as Palestinians fled in large numbers from Israeli tanks, drones, and troops advancing further into the coastal enclave, devastated by 23 months of conflict.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 65,000 on Wednesday, according to Gaza's health ministry, as Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City and residents fled the devastated area.

Israel's military said air force and artillery units had struck the city over 150 times in the last few days, ahead of ground troops moving in. The strikes have toppled high-rise towers in areas densely populated by tent camps where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering. Israel claims the towers are being used by Hamas to surveil troops.

Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, hospital officials reported. The death count in Gaza reached 65,062, with another 165,697 wounded, since Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack, said the health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, called on the 27 member states to raise tariffs on certain Israeli goods and to impose sanctions on 10 Hamas leaders, Israeli settlers, and two ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet: national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“We are proposing this measures not to punish Israel or Israel people, but to really try to pressure Israeli government to change course and to end the human suffering in Gaza," Kallas said. "The war needs to end, the suffering must stop, and all hostages must be released.”

The sanctions would freeze any European assets belonging to those individuals and ban their travel within the EU.

As Israel’s largest trading partner, the EU’s move could have significant repercussions for Israel’s economy, which is already strained by the prolonged war. Approximately €32 million (USD 37.5 million) in bilateral funds managed by the European Commission would be immediately suspended. The commission also provides aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Israel denies allegations of starvation in Gaza, insisting it allows sufficient humanitarian aid to enter.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar responded with a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, promising that Israel would resist the European campaign. “Pressure through sanctions will not work. The State of Israel is a proud sovereign nation, and we will not be bent through threats while Israel's security is at stake,” he wrote.

With AP/PTI inputs