EU foreign policy chief decries collapse of Gaza ceasefire

JERUSALEM

The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire agreement has caused heavy loss of life.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Kallas said her visit to the region comes at a difficult time as a result of the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.

She called for the resumption of the ceasefire as "the only feasible way to end the suffering on all sides."

"Violence feeds more violence," Kallas said, stressing that the escalation is causing "unbearable uncertainty" for Israelis held captive in Gaza and their families, and causing "horror and death for the Palestinian people."

Israel estimates that 59 hostages are still held in Gaza, with at least 24 of them alive. They were supposed to be released under the ceasefire agreement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shattered by launching Israeli airstrikes on Gaza last week.

The Israeli army has killed more than 700 Palestinians and injured over 1,000 since launching a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18 despite the ceasefire that took hold in January.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,200 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.