A reinvigorated Palestinian Authority should take over the government of Gaza, Foreign Minister Ian Borg told EU ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which discussed the situation in Gaza, Ukraine and other flashpoints around the world.

Gaza is currently being administered by Hamas, a terrorist organisation that drew harsh criticism when it launched an attack on Israel in early October, killing some 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians. Israel has since retaliated, attacking Gaza and pledging to wipe out Hamas. The Hamas health ministry has said that 18,200 Palestinians have been killed in the past two months.

Borg underscored the need to remain mindful of Israel’s legitimate security concerns and also said that moving beyond the status quo was crucial. In this respect, Malta supported greater EU engagement with regional partners towards a two-state solution in the Middle East.

He expressed Malta’s regret at the inability of the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire, urging more efforts to be made towards the full implementation of the Maltese-led resolution which last month called for pauses in the fighting.

Malta, Borg said, would continue its efforts for the Security Council to pronounce itself on a ceasefire. He also called for more crossings between Egypt and Gaza to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid. 

Borg reiterated Malta’s support for Ukraine through the various measures in place. 

On the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Borg participated in a breakfast meeting with Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan.