BRUSSELS: The European Union has signaled that it will keep the threat of sanctions against Israel on the table to maintain leverage and ensure full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the ceasefire “has changed the context, but cautioned that unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table.
Before the truce brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Brussels had floated measures such as blacklisting Israeli ministers and curbing trade ties. Although the EU has paused these actions for now, Kallas stressed that we don’t take them off the table either, because the situation is fragile.
The EU has outlined several expectations for Israel, including improving humanitarian access to Gaza, transferring Palestinian tax revenues, permitting journalists’ entry, and allowing NGO registration. Internal divisions among the EU’s 27 member states had previously prevented a consensus on punitive steps against Israel.
Tensions have resurfaced after Israel struck dozens of Hamas positions following the killing of two soldiers by militants, prompting Kallas to warn that “the ceasefire in Gaza has just faced its first major stress test. She added that Hamas’s refusal to disarm continues to endanger the fragile peace.
As the largest international donor to the Palestinians, the EU is exploring ways to play a greater role in Gaza’s post-war recovery. Brussels has reactivated its mission to monitor the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, though its deployment remains on hold pending the reopening of the route.