The ongoing military escalation in Gaza has ramped up international pressure on Israel as the UK and the European Union (EU) took measures against the Israeli government.
On Tuesday, the UK suspended free trade talks with Israel and imposed sanctions on West Bank settlers, while the EU said it would review its ties with Israel, reported CNN.
Intolerable Situation
The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “intolerable,” urging the entry of more aid “at pace.”
“The current situation in which we are seeing the bombardment, including of children, and the prospect of starvation, is just intolerable,” he said, noting that the UK is coordinating with its allies on the matter.
UK Action
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, slammed Israeli aid blockade and military escalation in the Gaza Strip. “For 11 weeks Israeli forces have blockaded Gaza, leaving the World Food Program without any – any – remaining stocks,” he said.
“We are now entering a dark new phase in this conflict. Netanyahu’s government is planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the strip to the south and permit them a fraction of the aid that they need,” Lammy added.
He announced the suspension of negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, and that the UK would review cooperation with Israel under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap. He added that the Foreign Office summoned Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipura Hotovely, over Israel’s expanded offensive in Gaza which Lammy called “morally unjustifiable.”
The UK top diplomat also announced sanctions on three individuals and four entities involved in settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. “We will continue to act against those who are carrying out heinous abuses of human rights,” he said.
European Move
Following the UK announcement, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said that the EU would review its Association Agreement with Israel given its blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The Association Agreement between the EU and Israel aims to enhance cooperation across various fields, including political dialogue, the free movement of goods, and scientific collaboration.
The European measures came a day after a joint statement by the UK, France and Canada threatening to take “concrete actions” if Israel “does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid.”
Moreover, the Foreign Ministers of 23 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Australia and the UK, as well as EU representatives, urged Israel on Tuesday to stop politicizing humanitarian aid for starving Gaza’s population and immediately resume aid entry into the Strip.
On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV also urged Israel to allow aid into Gaza, describing the situation in the Strip as “increasingly worrying and painful.”
Israel’s Escalation in Gaza
On March 2, 2025, Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, before resuming its military operations in the Strip on March 18, to increase pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
It expanded its offensive in Gaza on Sunday, launching Operation Gideon Chariots throughout the north and south of Gaza to take control of the enclave and step up pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The expanded offensive followed days of heavy airstrikes which have killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured over 1,000 since Thursday, according to a CNN count of Gaza’s Health Ministry data.
Although the Israeli Prime Minister’s office announced later on Sunday that Israel would allow the entry of a “basic amount of food” into Gaza to prevent a “starvation crisis” which could jeopardize its military operation, the number of aid trucks permitted to enter is insufficient to prevent starvation.
