European Parliament President Roberta Metsola speaks during a media conference at an EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 21, 2024. AP
"The European Council calls for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire," the leaders said after meeting in Brussels, while also calling for "the unconditional release of all hostages."
The Council "urges the Israeli government not to undertake a ground operation in Rafah", they added in their conclusions.
Israel's war on Gaza, now in its sixth month, has killed nearly 32,000 people, most of them women and children, according Gaza's health ministry.
Meanwhile, Israel's siege of the territory has sparked a catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has pushed nearly all of the 2.4 million Gazans to the brink of starvation.
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