On Sunday 6 and Monday 7 October, the leaders of the European institutions paid tribute to the 1,000 victims of the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. They called for the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza, a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave and appeasement in the region.
“There can be no justification for Hamas’ acts of terror”, stressed the President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a press release published on 6 October, once again condemning “those barbarous attacks in the strongest possible terms”.
The President recalled that these attacks had caused “immense suffering” not only to Israelis, but also to Palestinians. “The EU stands with all the innocent people whose lives have been shattered to the core since that fateful day”, she said.
“Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel ignited a spiral of violence which has brought the entire region to a state of extreme tension and volatility. All parties must act responsibly, with restraint, and engage to de-escalate the current tensions”, pleaded Ms von der Leyen.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on X that it was “of utmost urgency” to obtain a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, to make efforts to protect lives on the ground and to defuse the situation.
In a lengthy statement, EU High Representative Josep Borrell explained that “the Israeli people cannot look at the future with confidence until they can be certain that 7 October will never happen again”. He also recalled that the past year had been marked by the “horrible suffering” of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. “The population is suffering hunger and diseases as Israel besieges the Gaza strip. The scars run deep and the Palestinian people cannot see any future unless their rights are respected”, warned Mr Borrell.
According to him, “the time for the ceasefire is now, precisely one year after the terrorist attacks”. “Tomorrow might be too late. The 7 October anniversary only reinforces the EU efforts on the need to achieve that regional ceasefire”, he promised.
He explained that “one year after the terrible attack against Israel, the situation is only getting worse. The people in the region are more insecure than ever and are caught in an unending cycle of violence, hatred, and revenge. The whole Middle East is on the verge of a complete conflagration that the international community looks unable to control”, he lamented.
At the opening of the plenary session, in the presence of members of hostage families, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, warned that “the horror of that day on 7 October will live on as an infamous memory”. These attacks have triggered a “cycle of war, death and devastation, resulting in thousands of deaths in Gaza and instability throughout the region. Too many innocent people have paid far too high a price”, she lamented.
The European Council is “deeply alarmed” by the military escalation. According to the draft conclusions of the European Council of 17 and 18 October dated 5 October, European leaders should also once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the Hamas attacks, describing them as “unjustified acts of deliberate violence”.
“Deeply alarmed” by the dramatic military escalation in the Middle East and the risk it represents for the whole region, the European Council should call on “all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, put an end to all hostilities, and to fully abide by international law, including international humanitarian law”. “The EU is fully determined to helping de-escalate the situation and reduce tensions", it should promise.
Condemning in the strongest terms the Iranian attacks on Israel on 1 October, the European Council should reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself, while calling for respect for international humanitarian law. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations must end”, it warned. It also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and on both sides of the Blue Line, and for the “full and symmetrical” implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
See the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/dqz (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)