On Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution

B100387/2025

European Parliament resolution on Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution

(2025/2852(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East conflict,

–having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly,

–having regard to the joint statement of 12 August 2025 by the Commission on behalf of 27 partners on the humanitarian situation in Gaza,

–having regard to the EU list of terrorist organisations, which includes Hamas,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 7 October 2023, Hamas terrorists perpetrated an unprovoked, atrocious attack on Israel by air, land and sea, brutally murdering more than a thousand Israelis, including women and children;

B.whereas Hamas abducted over 250 Israelis on 7 October 2023; whereas 48 hostages are still being held in Gaza in inhumane conditions and forced to endure forms of both physical and psychological torture;

C.whereas in response to Hamas’s attacks, Israel launched the military operation ‘Swords of Iron’, with the stated goal of liberating the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities;

D.whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza is unbearable, with the civilian population in the Gaza Strip now entirely dependent on humanitarian aid;

1.Condemns once again in the strongest possible terms the barbaric crimes perpetrated by Hamas against Israel; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza;

2.Reiterates its commitment to Israel’s security and its inalienable right to invoke self-defence under international law;

3.Supports the goal of fully defeating the military wing of Hamas, to prevent the EU-designated terrorist organisation from posing a threat to Jewish lives ever again; warns that Hamas’s political ideology prevents it from ever being a political partner; regrets the public support by Hamas for the deadly terrorist attack perpetrated in Jerusalem on 8 September 2025, which confirms the total lack of legitimacy of this terrorist group to participate in the future governance of the Gaza Strip;

4.Decries the innocent lives lost since 7 October 2023 and calls on the Israeli Government to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law to strictly avoid affecting civilians while fighting Hamas;

5.Expresses deep concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, notably the lack of food and widespread malnutrition due to the insufficient access to humanitarian aid; reiterates that distribution sites, civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected and must not become targets of military action due to errors or lack of coordination; underlines the urgent need for full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, with an emphasis on essentials such as food, water, medical supplies and shelter, in line with international law, for all experienced international humanitarian bodies, and demands the immediate restoration of vital infrastructure; emphasises the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international humanitarian law regarding the provision of humanitarian assistance;

6.Calls for coordinated efforts among all actors, including between Israel, the EU, the UN and private aid organisations, to guarantee that aid reaches all civilians safely;

7.Underlines that the total demilitarisation and exclusion of Hamas from any future form of governance in Gaza is a fundamental requirement for a durable and reliable future political and security architecture; calls for the full restoration of a reformed Palestinian Authority as the only governing force in Gaza;

8.Strongly condemns Hamas’s asymmetric war strategy of using civilians and civilian infrastructure as shields for their operations, using an extensive underground tunnel system as bases and for holding hostages, as well as hindering civilians trying to safely evacuate Gaza City, attacking aid distribution sites and systematically diverting humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza, particularly food supplies; stresses that Hamas’s actions are chiefly responsible for the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population and the levels of destruction throughout the strip;

9.Calls for renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire, on the condition of an immediate release of all hostages; calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to use their diplomatic leverage on countries like Qatar, Türkiye and Iran to apply pressure on Hamas to accept the release of all hostages;

10.Welcomes the active engagement of numerous regional actors and their efforts to reach a ceasefire and pave the way for a durable peace;

11.Condemns the continuous attacks on Israel by Houthi rebels, Hezbollah and Iran; stresses that the Iranian regime continues to constitute a threat to Israel’s security, while Israel retains the right to adopt all measures it deems necessary to counter and diminish Iranian aggression and interference;

12.Reiterates its commitment to a negotiated two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, with two sovereign, democratic states living side by side in peace and guaranteed security, and in full respect of international law; regrets the decisions by the Israeli Government to allow the construction of 3 400 homes in the West Bank, stressing that the expansion of illegal settlements represents a significant obstacle to achieving enduring peace in the region;

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.