The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas, following a meeting with the Palestinian Authority's new prime minister in Brussels on Sunday.
"We must do everything in our power to reach an immediate end of the hostilities, to achieve the immediate release of all hostages, to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza," Borrell said at a press conference.
Borrell was speaking at European Commission headquarters alongside Mohammad Mustafa, the recently-appointed prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
The three met donors to the Palestinian Authority in Brussels on Sunday to discuss the newly-formed government in the West Bank, led by Mustafa.
Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 after elections the previous year led to fighting between Hamas and Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Palestinian Authority President and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appointed Mustafa as prime minister in March.
Mustafa said at the press conference that Israel is withholding aid. "The Palestinian leadership have made every effort to keep the peace and the calm in the West Bank, despite all challenges."
He said the meeting was "an opportunity to ask Israel to reconsider" and to allow money to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.
Borrell also said allegations that Israel is committing "genocide" should be investigated.
Noting an ruling by the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, which ordered Israel to stop its offensive in the Gazan city of Rafah, Borrell said: "This important international Court of Justice verdict also orders Israel to ensure access to any United Nations mandate investigating the allegations of genocide."
While he emphasized that he's only calling them "allegations", Borrell added, "they have to be investigated according with the ruling of the ICJ."
In a blog post published on Sunday, Borrell warned Israel not to ignore the ICJ order. "The ICJ is the highest court of the United Nations system," he wrote.
"Disregarding it would be against the rules based world order we support and promote everywhere," Borrell said. "The unconditional respect and the relentless promotion of international law is at the heart of both our identity and our foreign policy."
Norway - which is not a member of the EU - announced on Wednesday that it will recognize a Palestinian state. The EU itself cannot do the same unless all of its 27 member states do so first.
At the press conference in Brussels on Sunday, Barth Eide said the purpose of the meeting was for donors to "listen to Prime Minister Mustafa's presentation of his plans for strengthening the government, strengthening its capacity and its reform plans."