Six European foreign ministers condemn Israel's planned Gaza City operation

In the statement, the ministers said that they "condemn the most recent Israeli offensive launched in the Strip and the announcement to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City."

Foreign ministers from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain condemned Israel's planned takeover of Gaza City in a joint statement published on their respective government websites on Friday.

In the statement, the ministers said that they "condemn the most recent Israeli offensive launched in the Strip and the announcement to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City.

"We reiterate that the intensification of military operations will endanger the lives of hostages who cruelly remain in the hands of Hamas and will lead to the intolerable deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women, children, and elderly people."

The joint statement continued to describe the IDF's planned operations in the Palestinian city as "opening a new phase of uncertainty and intolerable suffering for both sides." The ministers urged the Israeli government to halt its planned operations and reconsider.

The ministers then referenced the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which declared there is a famine in the Strip, stating that it's imperative that UN agencies and NGOs operate in the area "to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe."

Israel's Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Office condemned the IPC report, with the former saying it's a "tailor-made fabricated report to fit Hamas’s fake campaign,” and the latter saying, "Israel has a policy of preventing starvation." Days later, Israel asked a global hunger monitor to retract the IPC assessment.

Looking to the West Bank

Regarding the European ministers' joint statement, they then pivoted towards the West Bank, and condemned the actions of some settlers there "who appear to be acting with impunity" and the settlement construction in the area, describing the latter as "illegal according to international law," and, much like the planned Gaza City operation, asked Israel to reconsider their plans.

The ministers also reiterated their support for a two-state solution, saying that it's "the only path towards long-lasting peace." The statement also reiterated the minister's urgent pleas for the entry of humanitarian aid and the release of the remaining 49 hostages in the enclave.

This is not the first time the six countries have issued a joint statement condemning Israeli actions during the Gaza war, as they released a different joint statement back in May, with Malta also eventually being one of the signatories.

Amichai Stein, The Media Line, and Reuters contributed to this report.