The group emphasized the role of the EU in the supply of humanitarian aid and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.
A group of over 400 former EU and Member State officials has called for “a permanent peace” following the start of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan, saying “maximum international pressure” must be exerted on all parties “to de-escalate to ensure a sustainable peace backed up by an empowering UN Security Council Resolution.”
“The current fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be the start of a permanent end of violence: under no circumstances should hostilities resume,” the 414 officials, including former ministers and ambassadors, from over 10 EU member states, said in a statement this week.
Newly captured photos show the widespread devastation left behind by the Israeli genocide forces in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, following their recent assault on the region. pic.twitter.com/iY4pHa0R3W
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 21, 2025
They said the first priority must be “a full and uninhibited” resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza in accordance with humanitarian principles and ensuring there will be no further risks of malnutrition and starvation.
“The EU must earmark significant resources for aid and reconstruction – including under the new EU Pact for the Mediterranean – and work collaboratively and at pace with the UN, most notably with UNRWA which should be immediately permitted by Israel to provide aid to Gaza,” together with NGOs and other credible organizations, the officials stressed.
They emphasized that critical supplies of food, water, shelter, medical and sanitation items need to be delivered urgently and “hospitals and utilities rehabilitated immediately.”
Concern for Children
Children, “many of whom are traumatized and in need of specialist post trauma services – which the EU could provide – must be given the chance to resume their education”, the statement added, while international journalists and human rights organizations “must be allowed into Gaza to report and assess the situation on the ground.”
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“Resupplying Gaza with humanitarian aid, removing more than 50 million tons of rubble and unexploded ordinance and launching an estimated $50 billion reconstruction program are Herculean tasks,” Margot Wallström, former Swedish Foreign Minister & former First Vice-President of the European Commission, stated.
Wallström said stable security conditions will be absolutely essential, emphasizing that the EU, working in close coordination with Palestinian and international partners, “must play its full part” in this effort.
Rights to Self-Determination
“A permanent peace in the region, an end to the prevailing siege conditions and the promotion of freedom of movement of people and goods must be established on the basis of two functioning States living side by side in peace and security within the June 1967 borders, with any changes being mutually agreed by the Parties,” the officials stated.
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They noted that Palestinian rights to self-determination and statehood, “only vaguely addressed in the Trump plan, are now fully endorsed by 157 UN Member States “and must be turned into reality, as foreseen in the New York Declaration of the Global Alliance and past UN resolutions.”
‘Illegal Occupation of Gaza, West Bank’
Josep Borrell, former President of the European Parliament & EU High Representative, stated that “Peace in the Middle East must be underpinned by the provisions of the UN Charter with no impunity for those who committed acts in violation of international law.”
He added that the EU “must use all levers at its disposal to press Israel to end its illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – consistent with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ of July 2024 – and back the setting up of a representative, duly elected Palestinian government in a future State recognized by all UN Members.”
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The statement further noted that the EU “must act robustly against spoilers and extremists on both sides whose actions jeopardize the establishment of a future Palestinian State, with particular focus on ideologues pursuing colonization and settlement expansion in the West Bank aided and abetted by the Israeli government.”
It stated that the EU “should not hold back from imposing restrictive measures on all such recalcitrants whose actions are in clear violation of UN Resolutions, the Peace Plan and the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”
Violations of Palestinian Prisoners
Allegations of violations of the human rights of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centers “should be thoroughly investigated and the EU should push for the release of political prisoners and an end to the Israeli practice of administrative detention.”
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The statement also stressed that the Palestinian people “must elect their own political leaders, not excluding prominent individuals currently imprisoned by Israel, in free and fair democratic elections observed by the international community.”
‘Sanctions’
The EU, it added, “must play its full part in securing and consolidating the peace for the benefit of both Parties, using all instruments at its disposal – including sanctions – in pursuit of these aims.”
This entails applying international law as interpreted by the ECJ, ICJ and ICC, “including implementing judgments and opinions in cases currently pending.”
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Consistent with EU policy in other conflicts, States and all perpetrators must be held responsible and face justice for their crimes and unlawful conduct, while compensation “must be made for loss of life and damage caused by military operations in occupied territory,” the statement added.
The officials emphasized that “Without accountability for acts undertaken in violation of international law, “there can be no just and lasting peace.”
Fragile Ceasefire
On October 10, a US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect in accordance with President Donald Trump’s plan. This plan, in addition to a cessation of hostilities, includes a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, a mutual release of prisoners, and the immediate entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.
The spokesperson for the Civil Defense, Dr. Mahmoud Bassal, stated that more than 10,000 martyrs’ bodies remain under the rubble in Gaza, and the Civil Defense teams are unable to retrieve them due to a lack of necessary equipment. pic.twitter.com/xKelilZphx
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 21, 2025
However, Israel has killed close to 100 Palestinians and injured 230 others in 80 violations of the ceasefire, to date, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
In two years of its genocidal assault on Gaza, Israel has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians and injured more than 169,000. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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