The European Union’s lack of action on Israel regarding its actions in Gaza and occupied Palestinian territories could result in a complete erosion of the international order and set a dangerous precedent, a legal expert has warned.
“We’re seeing the unravelling of the international rules-based order which the EU is founded to uphold and promote,” Nick Flynn, head of legal of the global campaign organisation Avaaz, told Euronews, adding that inaction could indicate a lack of leadership “that others will take note of and exploit.”
It comes as the European Union failed to agree on what to do with a review ordered by the majority of EU countries on the bloc’s trade and cooperation deal with Israel over its ongoing offensive in Gaza. The EU is currently Israel’s biggest trading partner, with annual trade valued at over €45 billion.
Last week, the bloc’s diplomatic service found indications that Israel had breached its human rights obligations in Gaza, citing the blockade on humanitarian aid, military strikes against hospitals, the forced displacement of Palestinians, mass arrests and arbitrary detentions. The document also cites the expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories and violence committed by settlers.
Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a pact that defines trading and diplomatic ties, states that relations between the parties “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy.”
However, after gathering at their council summit on Thursday, European countries could only agree “to continue discussions on a follow-up.”
“Israel is not respecting human rights right now, manifestly so, and the EU should act now,” Flynn urged. “It has the power to impose meaningful sanctions on Israel, for example, suspending its preferential trade status under the association agreement.”
Flynn spoke against the backdrop of a street installation organised by Avaaz in the Belgian capital on Wednesday and Thursday, which included giant portraits of Palestinian children, overlooking hundreds of names, flowers, stuffed animals and other toys.
Dozens of people, including families and children, gathered to honour the youth of Gaza.
“We’re here to bring the voices of Gaza’s children into the EU,” Flynn said.
The installation, called “Look Them in the Eyes”, aimed to confront leaders, foreign ministers and heads of state of the ongoing catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urge them to take decisive and urgent action.
Also present at the installation were several volunteer doctors who recently returned from Gaza, including Dr Graeme Groom, a British-Irish trauma and orthopaedic surgeon. Dr Groom recently operated on 11-year-old Adam, the sole surviving son of Palestinian doctor Alaa al-Najjar, whose nine children and husband were killed in an Israeli air strike in May.
Dr Groom, who is an orthopaedic surgeon at King’s College Hospital in London and co-chair of the IDEALS Charity, said a third of the patients entering his operating theatre are children and “would all be mangled bodies and mutilated limbs.”
Thousands of children have lost limbs as a result of Israeli bombardment. In March, the UN humanitarian aid organisation, OCHA, called it the “largest cohort of child amputees in modern history.”
Another significant threat among children in Gaza is the rise of acute malnutrition, Dr Groom warned.
“We heard this morning (Wednesday) that there is no formula left. If it’s not supplied urgently, then the death rate amongst newborn babies will be astronomical,” he told Euronews.
Dr Groom observed that access to medical equipment and funding has been increasingly restricted, with the situation deteriorating significantly after the closure of the Rafah crossing in May 2024 with Egypt and since Israel’s humanitarian aid blockade began on 2 March.
The British-Irish surgeon reported 47% of essential medication and 65% of consumables are at zero stock.
“Our cash allowance was reduced from $2,800 (€2,388) to about $300 (€256). We were allowed one suitcase, which should contain all the food we needed for 28 days, our personal belongings, water for four days, and no equipment. We were threatened with exclusion if we brought any equipment, a pair of scissors, a suture,” he said.
In terms of equipment, Dr Groom testified to Euronews that Israeli forces deliberately destroyed critical machines when taking over hospitals.
“At Al-Amal Hospital, in the radiology department, they cut all the cables of every ultrasound machine, which are used for pregnant women and injured patients.”
In addition to a severe shortage of aid and medical equipment, Gaza is also facing a critical lack of doctors and medical staff. The doctor said that he and his colleagues had been treating patients every day for more than three consecutive weeks, compared to the usual two or three operating days per week under normal conditions.
Despite this dire need, he noticed an increase in denied entry requests by Israel. He said he was refused entry in both February and March, without any explanation.
“Out of almost 40 people booked, only 19 were granted access. And amongst those 19, there was only one doctor,” he told Euronews.
Last month, UNICEF said more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
“The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all,” the statement by the UN children’s fund read.
Though EU leaders on Thursday decided they could only agree to “continue discussions” regarding the bloc’s partnership with Israel, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Euronews earlier this week there was consensus “to put pressure on Israel,” with a focus on improving the situation on the ground and ensuring the necessary humanitarian aid reaches the people of Gaza.