EU says Israel's Gaza City assault spells 'death', 'destruction'

The European Union warned Tuesday that Israel's ground assault on Gaza City will add to the toll of death and destruction, and worsen an already "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the territory.

"The EU has consistently urged Israel not to intensify its operation in Gaza City," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.

"A military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacement, and we have been clear that this will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endangers the lives of hostages," he said.

Israel launched its long anticipated ground assault on Gaza City before dawn Tuesday, unleashing a massive bombardment as troops moved into the territory's largest urban hub.

Brussels is expected Wednesday to put forward proposals for a raft of measures against Israel over the war in Gaza.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said last week they would include suspending the trade parts of a cooperation agreement and sanctioning "extremist" Israeli ministers.

But it will be very difficult to get the measures through given deep divisions between the European Union's 27 countries over Israel's war in Gaza.

The war was sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

UN investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza in a bid to "destroy the Palestinians", blaming Israel's prime minister and other top officials for incitement.