The Left group in the European Parliament today welcomes the news of a ceasefire agreement reached between the government of Israel and Hamas leadership in Gaza, bringing to a halt violence that has killed tens of thousands of civilians.
Co-chair of The Left Manon Aubry (La France Insoumise, France) said: “Today’s announcement that a ceasefire agreement has been reached is a great relief. Our thoughts are with the hostages, prisoners, their families and all civilians. We will closely monitor the implementation of the agreement and push for it to be made permanent. We will not forget that more than 46,000 Gazans have been killed in the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli army. This genocide must end permanently. War criminals must be arrested and brought to justice under warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. We must also remember that lasting peace can only be achieved with justice and equal rights. The European Union must put pressure on Netanyahu to ensure that Israel ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and that a sovereign Palestinian state is established. Today we celebrate the ceasefire, but we know that there is still a long way to go.”
Chair of the Delegation for relations with Palestine Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin, Ireland) said: “A ceasefire deal is long overdue and extremely welcome. As part of this agreement, the role of UNRWA must be protected and the anti-UNRWA Knesset laws must be repealed before they come into effect at the end of January. Now we need to see countries commit to delivering lasting peace and justice for Palestine and see accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity we have witnessed over the past 15 months.”
The Left group urged the European institutions and Member States to fully support the work of the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, as well as organisations working on the ground in Gaza, in order to ensure that peace in the region is built on justice for the victims of over 15 months of brutal violence.
