The British Foreign Minister David Lammy calls Israel's eleven-week-long blockade of aid to Gaza "undefensible and cruel".
The threat of starvation hangs over hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza, he says in a speech in parliament, according to Sky News.
The British Foreign Office has called up Israel's ambassador to convey that they are pausing negotiations for a new free trade agreement that has been ongoing since the summer of 2022.
Economic sanctions and travel bans are being introduced against three individuals, two illegal settlements, and two organizations that, according to the British government, are perpetrating violence against Palestinian communities on the West Bank.
Since earlier, 18 individuals, organizations, and companies linked to settler violence on the West Bank have been sanctioned.
Increased EU pressure
The Netherlands wants the EU Commission to evaluate whether Israel is living up to the human rights agreements that exist in the association agreement that handles trade and cooperation between the EU and Israel. Support exists from a growing number of countries, including Sweden and France.
Sweden is also backing proposals for sanctions against individual Israeli ministers who are considered to be driving Israel's settlement policy.
But achieving the necessary unity when EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels will not be easy. Countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, and Austria have traditionally been hesitant to take a hard line against Israel.
Malmer Stenergard still senses a shift.
I perceive completely different tones from my colleagues generally in the (minister) council, compared to how it was just a few weeks ago. We are extremely concerned and eager for Israel to stop its escalation, she says on the phone to Swedish journalists ahead of the meeting.
Several countries
Several other countries in the world are threatening with sanctions following the announcement that Israel is taking control of the Gaza Strip.
Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is opening up to introducing sanctions together with other countries, reports VG. Norway stands fully behind the latest 24-hour declarations, he says.
This is completely in line with what Norway has said for a long time, including clear statements that Israel is now committing serious crimes against international law. This cannot continue.
