BRUSSELS, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Gaza was in a “catastrophic situation of genocide” and urged the European Union to immediately suspend its cooperation deal with Israel.
Speaking to reporters before an EU summit in Brussels, Sanchez mentioned a recent human rights report by the bloc’s diplomatic service which, he said, addressed “the catastrophic situation of genocide unfolding in Gaza”.
Sanchez on Thursday became the most prominent European leader to describe the situation in Gaza as a “genocide”, as rescuers in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory said Israeli forces killed 56 people.
After more than 20 months of devastating conflict, rights groups say Gaza’s population of more than two million face famine-like conditions.
Israel began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May following a blockade of more than two months, but distribution has been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect rations.
Hundreds have been killed since the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation become operations in late May.
Israel meanwhile is pressing its bombardment of the territory, in a military offensive it claims is aimed at defeating militant group Hamas.
The comments represent the strongest condemnation to date by Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive who is one of the first European leaders, and the most senior, to use the term “genocide” to describe the situation in Gaza.
Speaking ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Sanchez mentioned an EU report which found “indications” Israel was breaching its rights obligations under the cooperation deal, which forms the basis for trade ties.
The text cited Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory, the high number of civilian casualties, attacks on journalists and the massive displacement and destruction caused by the war.
The spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, said Israeli forces killed 56 people on Thursday, including six who were waiting for aid in two separate locations.
The Israeli military claimed its troops had “fired warning shots” in order to prevent “suspects from approaching them” near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, where Palestinians gather each night for rations.
The European Union on Thursday expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza as the Israeli military continued its relentless bombardment.
During a meeting in Brussels, EU leaders “deplored the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation” gripping the besieged enclave.
The European Council called for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages, urging a permanent end to the war.
It came as at least 71 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza morning alone, according to hospital sources. The death toll in Gaza has now reached staggering levels, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting more than 56,000 killed and over 132,000 wounded.
Alongside urgent calls for a ceasefire, the EU is looking into Israel’s adherence to human rights standards under its Association Agreement with the bloc. A report released last week by the EU’s diplomatic service identified “indications” that Israel is breaching its obligations, particularly regarding civilian protection.
In response, EU leaders committed to ongoing discussions about possible follow-up measures and summoned officials for another debate in July 2025.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the health crisis in Gaza is worsening rapidly. Outbreaks of preventable diseases linked to water scarcity and unsanitary conditions are increasing mortality rates among civilians.
OCHA reported more than 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea over the past two weeks, alongside hundreds of cases of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhoea. These illnesses are directly tied to the ongoing fuel blockade imposed by Israel, which has crippled Gaza’s water desalination plants and sanitation systems.
“The urgent need for fuel, medical supplies, and water, sanitation and hygiene items is critical to preventing further collapse of the public health system,” the UN agency said.
Israeli forces have displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, which remains under a suffocating siege. The destruction wrought by months of airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground operations has left the territory’s infrastructure in ruins. — NNN-AGENCIES
