The Prime Ministers of Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain confirmed their discussion of readiness to recognize a Palestinian state.

They said in a statement today, Friday, “We will do so when conditions are appropriate,” stressing “the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and a rapid and sustainable increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.”

The Prime Ministers stressed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementing the two-state solution, welcoming the results adopted by the European Council, at a summit in Brussels, where the leaders of the 27 European Union countries called for an “immediate humanitarian truce” in Gaza. In a joint statement, they urged Israel not to launch a military operation in Rafah, 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 access of humanitarian aid to” Gaza, expressing “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 the failure to enter enough aid to Gaza.”