Middle East Monitor / May 12, 2023
The European Union has described Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip as “intolerable,” calling on Tel Aviv to prevent civilian casualties, Anadolu news agency reported.
“The European Union is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in recent days in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory,” said European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano, at a press conference held in the Belgian capital, Brussels, Thursday.
He added that “Israel must take precautions and all possible measures to prevent civilian casualties in its operations and abide by international humanitarian law,” adding that the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip is “unacceptable and intolerable.”
Stano reiterated the bloc’s call on the two parties to “exercise maximum restraint.”
On Wednesday, a Palestinian source said that Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza have stalled.
The Israeli army said its airstrikes on Gaza were part of its Operation Shield and Arrow in response to rocket fire from Gaza following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison last week.
Palestinian factions in Gaza retaliated against the attacks by firing volleys of rockets into Israel.
According to Palestinian figures, at least 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year. Nineteen Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.
