Letter to H.E Ms Kaja Kallas on the humanitarian situation in Gaza

H.E Ms Kaja Kallas

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and

Vice President of the European Commission

14 December 2025

Dear High Representative,

As stated at our November Council, the agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza represents welcome progress. The efforts of the US and other members of the international community in securing this much-needed agreement are to be commended. We are grateful that you have focused our discussions on how the EU can contribute to the overall process, with the ultimate aim of securing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, with two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, in full respect of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

We are now at a point where we must assess progress on key phase one issues. It is in this context that we want to formally convey our growing concern about lack of progress on addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Since the ceasefire came into effect two months ago, the people of Gaza continue to endure the most appalling conditions. The improvements in humanitarian access have not materialised to the extent set out in the Comprehensive Plan. At this moment, the people of Gaza do not have enough to eat, they do not have adequate shelter from the winter weather, they do not have sufficient access to medicines and they do not have access to sanitation. The volume of aid entering Gaza is nowhere near sufficient and Israel’s highly-restrictive controls continue to obstruct an effective humanitarian response.

The UN and its agencies remain a pillar of humanitarian relief and recovery in Gaza. We underline in particular the indispensable role of UNRWA and expect all parties to allow it to operate in accordance with its mandate. We are also extremely concerned at reports that international NGO operations may be restricted if they are de-registered by Israel. We know an effective humanitarian response will simply not be possible without international NGOs.

They must be allowed to continue their vital work without further obstruction.

As our collective call for the rapid, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid at scale currently goes largely unanswered, we would like to ask that our discussion on the situation in the Middle East at the December Foreign Affairs Council includes a focus on how the EU can use its considerable leverage with Israel to urgently address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. All crossings must be fully reopened in both directions, truck limits must be removed, customs and movement restrictions must be eased, and critical humanitarian items must enter without restriction.

In addition, it is critical that the EU and its Member States act in coordination as a block, working with the UN and others to address immediate humanitarian needs, and move towards early recovery and reconstruction. The EU must at all times ensure that the people of Gaza are supported in line with International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian principles, including as we work with the transitional mechanisms envisaged in the Comprehensive Plan for Gaza, which should be Palestinian-owned. At the same time, accountability for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law remains essential. We also remain deeply concerned about the situation in the West Bank, including settlement policy and activities and alarming settler violence.

We cannot risk undermining decades of work by the EU and others to build a system grounded in humanitarian principles and based on international law. A failure to act in Gaza will have reverberations for years to come in other conflicts and humanitarian emergencies around the world. We must also ensure that any actions taken in Gaza during this phase do not create conditions that undermine an eventual two-State solution which is at the core of the EU’s policy on all matters relating to Israel and Palestine. In this regard, we stress that Israeli settlement expansion, annexation measures, and changes to the demographic or territorial status of the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and must cease immediately as was clearly stated in the International Court of Justice Advisory opinions of 19 July 2024 and 22 October of 2025.

Yours sincerely,

Helen McEntee

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland

José Manuel Albares Bueno

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain

Xavier Bettel

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg

Maxime Prévot

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium

Tanja Fajon

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia

Paulo Rangel

Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal

C.C. Ms Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management

C.C. Ms Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean