By Nicole Meilak

Copyright maltatoday

The European Union has called on Israel to stop its escalating ground invasion of northern Gaza, warning that further military action would deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis and endanger the lives of hostages.

“Military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacements,” Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said Tuesday. “This will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endanger the lives of hostages.”

The appeal came as Israel confirmed it had entered the “main phase” of its long-threatened ground offensive into Gaza City, one of the most densely populated areas on earth.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official said troops had advanced overnight from the outskirts towards the city center in a coordinated maneuver combining intelligence, air power, and ground troops. “Yesterday was a big step forward,” the official said, noting that as many as 3,000 Hamas and allied fighters were expected to resist, both above and below ground.

Haaretz reported that two Israeli army divisions had entered Gaza City while a third surrounded it, with Israeli forces claiming to control about 40% of the area by midday Tuesday.

The Gaza health ministry said 59 people were killed and 386 wounded in the past 24 hours alone, raising the official Palestinian death toll from the nearly two-year war to almost 65,000. The real number is believed to be higher.

The EU appears poised to harden its stance against Israel. On Wednesday, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, is expected to present proposals for stronger measures, including new sanctions against far-right Israeli extremists and a partial suspension of a trade agreement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already announced plans to freeze millions of euros in EU funds allocated to Israel, a move that does not require unanimous approval from member states.

The ground offensive coincided with the release of a report by a UN commission of inquiry accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Navi Pillay, the commission’s chair, said: “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the genocide convention.”

Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the report as “distorted and false.” Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed the campaign would continue. “Gaza is burning,” he declared on X. “The IDF is striking terror infrastructure with an iron fist. We will not relent until the mission is completed.”