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28th Mar 2024

EU foreign ministers to meet over Gaza violence

  • The EU meeting is taking place in the last 24 hours of the French presidency (Photo: French presidency of the EU)

EU foreign ministers are to meet in Paris on Tuesday (30 December) evening to discuss the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, the French EU presidency has said.

The meeting will aim to "examine urgently the situation in the Middle East, in light of the recent events," and look into "the European Union's contribution to solving the current crisis, in liaison with the efforts of the international community," the French communique reads.

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The options EU ministers will discuss include renewing an EU observation mission in Rafah, a town that lies on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which could ease restrictions on movement of people, French news agency AFP reports.

"As we have already said, the EU is ready to resume its monitoring mission at Rafah," EU top diplomat Javier Solana said over the weekend.

Israel launched its air attacks in the Gaza Strip on Saturday (27 December), saying it was doing so in retaliation against continuous Palestinian rocket fire on regions in southern Israel.

The number of Palestinians killed in the four days of the attacks is estimated to be between 340 and 390 people, with more than 900 wounded. Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza militants has intensified since Saturday, killing four Israelis and wounding two dozen more.

The EU foreign ministers gathering, which comes 24 hours before the end of the French EU presidency, will be Paris' last major initiative before it passes the baton over to the Czech Republic on 1 January. It is the first time such a meeting is taking place on 30 December.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has discussed the situation by phone with both Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak.

Mr Sarkozy will also meet Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni in Paris in January, the Associated Press reports.

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