The humanitarian situation of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, and now in Rafah, has reached a catastrophic level, Foreign Minister Ian Borg said on Monday, insisting that every effort must be made to revive the peace process towards a lasting two-state solution.

Borg was speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

He called on the international community to continue seeking an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine as the only way out of this human tragedy and as an effective step forward for the release of all hostages in Gaza and the acceleration of humanitarian aid to Palestinian families.

Borg also emphasised the importance of supporting the Palestinian Authority, for maintaining stability in the region.

“We welcome the efforts that have taken place so far to alleviate the suffering in Gaza, including the work of humanitarian agencies on the ground. However, our efforts are clearly just a drop in an ocean of dire needs which the people in this region continue to face,” Borg said.

He said Malta strongly rejects the latest ground invasion in Rafah and he hoped that the EU could still convince Israel to bring an end to it.

During Monday’s meeting, the EU foreign ministers hosted ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, for an exchange on the latest developments in the Middle East.

In a separate session, the ministers discussed the war in Ukraine, with the participation (via video teleconference) of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Borg referred to next month’s Summit on Peace in Ukraine, and encouraged member states to turn this event into an effective platform for negotiations that could end the war, on the basis of the United Nations Charter.

“The international community has an important role in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine. We must continue to insist on upholding the rules-based order,”Borg added.