European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Gaza is on the brink of famine, and is suffering from a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

In a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel, after the first day of the European Council in Brussels, she stressed the urgent need for a humanitarian truce that leads to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

She announced that the European Council had unanimously approved the measures necessary for full, rapid, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“We urge the Israeli government not to carry out a ground operation in Rafah,” von der Leyen said.

For his part, the President of the European Council warned against any Israeli ground operation in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and said, “Imagine the consequences if such an operation were launched,” stressing the potentially dire humanitarian repercussions of such a step.

He reiterated the European Union's position on international law, in particular condemning illegal Israeli settlements and calling for the resumption of the political process.

The leaders called for the provision of basic humanitarian aid to alleviate the harsh conditions faced by the people of Gaza, and stressed the need for 500 trucks or their equivalent to enter Gaza daily via all available routes, land, air and sea.

They reaffirmed the European Union's firm commitment to lasting and sustainable peace, firmly rooted in the two-state solution.

The leaders of the 27 European Union countries, meeting at a summit in Brussels, called for an “immediate humanitarian truce” in Gaza, and in a joint statement they urged Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah in the far south of the devastated Strip.

The joint statement said, "The European Council calls for an immediate humanitarian truce that should lead to a permanent ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian assistance."

European leaders noted that more than a million Palestinians are "currently searching for safety and humanitarian aid there."

The leaders called for “full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza," and expressed “deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and its disproportionate impact on civilians, especially children, as well as the imminent risk of famine resulting from not enough aid entering to Gaza.”