Israeli Foreign Ministers Gideon Sa’ar talked to EU’s Kaja Kallas and also to the Foreign Ministers of France, the Netherlands and Czechia, telling them that “we must defeat the radical axis of Iran, the Houthis, and Hamas.’’  ”This is the way to achieve stability in the Middle East,” he added.

In a statement on Tuesday, the EU deplored ‘’the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and the deaths of civilians, including children, in Israeli airstrikes.’’

In the joint statement by EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner for the Mediteranean Dubravka Suica and Commissioner in charge of humanitarian aid Hadja Lahbib, the EU called on Israel to end its military operations and reiterated its call on Hamas to release all the hostages ‘’immediately’’.

It urged Israel’’ to exercise restraint and to resume unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and electricity to Gaza.’’

‘’We call on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law,’’ the statement added.

The resumption of negotiations is the only way forward, the EU said. ‘’Palestinians and Israelis have suffered immensely over the past year and a half. It is time to break the cycle of violence. Stability is a prerequisite for swift reconstruction.’’

Israeli Foreign Ministers Gideon Sa’ar talked to Kallas and also to several Foreign Ministers, including Jean- Noël Barrot of France, Caspar Veldkamp of the Netherlandasand Jan Lipavsky of Czechia,telling them that “we must defeat the radical axis of Iran, the Houthis, and Hamas.’’ ‘’ This is the way to achieve stability in the Middle East,” he added.

Sa’ar conveyed messages to his colleagues about the background to the resumption of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that Israel had accepted the proposals of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the temporary ceasefire, but Hamas has rejected them twice.

The IDF is only acting against Hamas and terror targets and is working to minimize harm to the civilian population, the minister added.

He said in the talks that Israel will not compromise on its war objectives: the release of all our hostages, the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities, and the removal of the threat to Israel’s security and that of its citizens from the Gaza Strip.