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    • Ireland's prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza ceasefire at their summit

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    Ireland's prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday that the European Union is losing its credibility because of a lack of a strong position in the war between Israel and Hamas, urging his counterparts to call for a humanitarian ceasefire.

    Speaking at the start of a EU summit in Brussels focusing more on Ukraine, Varadkar said the EU should condemn "terrorism perpetrated by Hamas," but also call for justice for the Palestinian people.

    The 27 EU countries have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians. At their previous meeting in October, EU leaders called "for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs."

    Varadkar said he hopes they will achieve "stronger wording" this time.

    "I think the European Union has lost credibility because of our inability to take a stronger and more united position on Israel and Palestine," Varadkar said. "We've lost credibility at the global South, which actually is most of the world, because what is perceived to be double standards. And there's some truth in that, quite frankly."

    Before the summit, Varadkar and the prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to host a "serious debate" about the Israel-Hamas war and the "humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza."

    Israel has drawn international outrage and rare criticism from the United States over the killing of civilians. More than 18,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel says 113 of its soldiers have died in the Gaza ground offensive it launched after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people -- mostly civilians -- and taking about 240 hostages.

    "We must call urgently for all the parties to declare a lasting humanitarian ceasefire that can lead to an end of hostilities," the four leaders wrote.

    Varadkar insisted that 17 out of 27 EU countries are now in favour of a ceasefire that would lead "to a new peace process and Palestinian statehood, which is the only way to secure justice and security for everyone living in the region."

    Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, backed his Irish colleague.

    "Europe has to speak out ... in a clear, strong, firm and unified voice," he said.

    Despite its limited political leverage, the 27-nation bloc is the world's top aid supplier to the Palestinians. The EU has little influence over Israel -- the United States is its staunchest ally -- but remains the country's biggest trade partner.

    The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, repeated the need for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

    "The Arab countries have already said that they will not participate in rebuilding Gaza unless there is a strong commitment from the international community to build a two-state solution," Borrell said. "We have to focus on a political solution to the problem once and for all."

    ------

    Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this story.

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