An emergency European Union video meeting on Tuesday is set to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, offer more humanitarian aid and try to relaunch peace talks, Malta's foreign minister said.
Malta's Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo told Reuters that new U.S. President Joe Biden's openness to seek a solution to the decades-old conflict was crucial, "because unless we address the root causes (the violence) will happen again."
"I think I'm not being too optimistic (to say) that at a minimum, what will probably come out (of the EU meeting) is the call for a ceasefire, an offer of humanitarian aid, and then seeing how to restart the political process," Bartolo said via video link.
After a ceasefire, the EU would "work with the United States, work with Russia to try and deal with the situation," he added.