BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers will hold a series of meetings on Monday with counterparts from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and key Arab countries about the war in Gaza and prospects for a future peace settlement, officials said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and his Palestinian counterpart Riyad Al-Maliki are not likely to meet each other during their Brussels trips, according to AFP.
The foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia will also meet with European ministers in Brussels as fears swirl that a wider conflict could engulf the region of Middle East.
European envoys said their aim is to sound out each side over ways to end the war on the ground and the next measures toward a longer-term solution.
The EU has struggled for a united stance on the fighting in Gaza as staunch backers of Israel such as Germany have rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire from the likes of Ireland and Spain.
Hamas, that controlled the Gaza Strip, carried out a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, resulting in the death of nearly 1,140 people in Israel.
They also seized about 250 hostages during the attacks, nearly 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.
Israel vows to annihilate Hamas
Israel has vowed to “annihilate” Hamas in response and its relentless air and ground attacks has martyred at least 24,620 Palestinians, around 70% of them women, children and adolescents, as per the figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
