On Sunday, the prime ministers of Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Malta called on the European Union to call for a permanent humanitarian truce to end the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.

In a joint message, the prime ministers stressed the seriousness of the war and the possibility of the conflict escalating and spreading throughout the region.

The text of the letter stated that European Union leaders must reach a common position demanding a permanent humanitarian truce that could lead to an end to the fighting in Gaza, and also demand measures to protect civilians in the Strip immediately.

The four countries, which criticized Israel for its war on the Gaza Strip, called for holding an international peace conference on Gaza as soon as possible to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state, according to the text of the letter.

The four countries stressed the need to freeze the assets of Israeli settlers who launch attacks on Palestinians, in order to prevent the spread of violence in the West Bank.

European Union leaders are scheduled to meet on December 14 and 15 in Brussels to discuss the Gaza war, ways to help Ukraine, and review the European Union's long-term budget.

This comes after the United States used its veto power in the Security Council on Friday against a resolution submitted by the UAE calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian reasons.

The vote on it came after the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, took a rare step on Wednesday by activating Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, in which the Security Council officially warns of a global threat resulting from the Israeli war on Gaza.