The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, asked to put an end to the escalation in Gaza after the new Israeli bombings, inviting all the parties to respect the fire and saying “shocked and saddened” for the large number of civil victims.
“Violence must cease and the terms of the ceased agreement must be respected,” said the president of the body that represents the leaders of the twenty -seven. “All hostages and prisoners must be released and humanitarian aid must be restored immediately,” the former Portuguese prime minister urged.
Israeli Raid in Gaza, hit by a charity association: nine deaths including three journalists
These new Israeli attacks, by far the most violent since the beginning of the truce in January, have caused more than 400 deaths in Gaza in a few hours, in a large part of civil. The European commissioner for humanitarian aid, the Belgian Hadja Lahbib, said that the “renewed escalation is devastating”. “Civilians are facing unimaginable sufferings. This must end,” he wrote on X, asking for an “immediate” return to the ceased.
Shocked and Saddend by the News Coming from Gaza and the Many Civilian Casualties Following The Israeli AirsTrikes Last Night.
Violence Must Stop and the Terms of the Ceasefire Agreement Must Be Respected. All Hostages and Detainees Must Be Released, and Humanitarian Aid Must …
– António Costa (@eucopresident) March 18, 2025
The radical right returns to the government
Israel said she had no choice but to resume military operations to bring the hostages back to Gaza back, while Hamas has accused him of trying to impose an “surrender agreement” and of “Silver” the truce that entered into force on January 19. The resumption of attacks also convinced the Otzma Yehudit party (Jewish force), the far -right political force of the former national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, to return to the government he had left when an agreement had been reached for the ceased, a sign that the attacks are not destined to cease or decrease in intensity.
Ben Gvir had left the position of Minister for National Security in January. The minister for Negev and Galilee, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and the Minister for Cultural Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, also said goodbye to the Netanyahu government.
“As we said in recent months, when we left the government, Israel has to return to fight in Gaza”, wrote the former minister this morning, claiming a “step” that he considers “just, moral, ethical and more than justified to destroy the terrorist organization of Hamas and bring our hostages back home”.
During the first phase of this truce, which expired on March 1st, Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight dead. Israel has released around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, but since then the negotiations have run over.
Meloni’s reaction
The resumption of Israeli attacks in Gaza “puts the release of the hostages, the end of hostilities and the resumption of humanitarian aid at risk, said the president of the Italian Council, Giorgia Meloni. The intense night attacks on the strip “jeopardize the objectives on which we are all working, or the release of all the hostages, the definitive end of hostilities and the restoration of all humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip”, said in a speech in the Senate in Rome.
