The leaders of Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Malta have written a letter to the European Council President Charles Michel calling for a discussion at an upcoming EU summit on the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza.
"We are writing to you in view of the step taken by United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, invoking Article 99 of the United Nations Charter for the United Nations Security Council to address urgently the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza," the leaders said in the opening paragraph of their letter.
The Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo described the death toll, the destruction and the humanitarian situation brought about by the war in Gaza as "alarming."
CNN obtained a copy of the letter from an EU official.
All four leaders have previously called publicly for a ceasefire in Gaza and provided some of the strongest condemnations of Israel's actions in Gaza from EU leaders.
"Given the gravity of the situation and the potential of an escalation in the West Bank and regionally, it is imperative for us to hold a serious debate on the war during the upcoming European Council that will take place on December 14 and 15," the leaders stressed.
The leaders also called for "effective measures" to be taken to protect the “innocent civilians” of Gaza being impacted by the conflict. Humanitarian aid must be delivered "unhindered" to the enclave, the leaders said.
In the letter, they also highlighted the “urgent need” for a “political process on the basis of the implementation of the two-state solution.”
The letter added, "We cannot go back to the status quo before October 7, with Hamas in control of Gaza and with the Palestinian Authority undermined by the lack of any serious political perspective,"
They suggested convening an international peace conference with Israel and Hamas “in order to implement the two-state solution.”
The leaders ended the letter by warning that the EU’s “credibility is at stake.”
"These are dark hours for millions of people in Palestine and Israel. Across Europe anti-Semitic incidents have resurged and this cannot be tolerated. It is time for the European Union to act," they said.
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