Updated 8.57pm.
Prime Minister Robert Abela and EU parliament president Roberta Metsola made separate calls for a ceasefire in Gaza when they spoke at a summit meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
The prime minister spoke at a lunch that the EU leaders hosted for the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, marking the opening of their meeting.
He insisted that providing humanitarian help to Gaza was simply not enough and the council of the European Union should call for an immediate, and permanent, ceasefire.
Abela praised the UN Secretary-General for his pronouncements about the war in Gaza and his defence of humanity, despite criticism that he had attracted to himself.
The appalling death toll and shortages of food and water in Gaza were a wake-up call for the European Council which had not yet called for an immediate ceasefire, although there was now movement in that direction, Abela said.
Malta, he added, would continue to insist that the council should call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. It was good that EU funds were used to supply humanitarian aid, but the EU should also insist on a stop to the fighting.
Council conclusions to respect Malta's constitutional principles
In other points, Abela reiterated that Russia must withdraw from Ukrainian territory and respect that country's sovereignty and internationally recognised borders.
Speaking on security and defence, he said these were particularly sensitive subjects. The Maltese government would safeguard what was important for Malta, namely non-alignment and neutrality as enshrined in the constitution. His commitment, he said, was to work for peace and all must take care to ensure that decisions taken now were not considered rash in a few years’ time.
Speaking to media later, Abela said that while the conclusions of the summit would speak of actions being taken by the EU, in the area of security and defence and the war in Ukraine, Malta's constitutional principles would be safeguarded.
Metsola calls for more humanitarian aid, lasting peace
Metsola said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was desperate and the EU needed to make every effort to get more aid in.
"That is why the European Parliament will keep pushing for a ceasefire. Why we will keep demanding the return of the remaining hostages and why we underline that Hamas can no longer operate with impunity," she said.
She said Gaza needed peace that empowers peaceful, legitimate, Palestinian leadership and that ensures lasting stability in the region.
She also proposed the setting up of an EU-led taskforce to assess how to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the situation in the Red Sea, where cargo vessels are being attacked by Houthi rebels from Yemen.
Speaking on Russia’s threat to peace, Metsola said the EU needed to continue to do everything possible to help Ukraine to continue to defend itself.
“Our project of peace depends on our ability to be secure and autonomous. If we are serious about protecting our collective security we also need to take action on building a new EU security framework.
US shifts position, urges 'immediate' ceasefire
The United States has circulated for the first time a draft UN resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, as warnings grow of famine in besieged Gaza.
Washington had blocked previous Security Council texts using the word "immediate" but US top diplomat Antony Blinken confirmed the shift in position on Wednesday.
Blinken, who is to meet five Arab foreign ministers in Egypt on Thursday, stressed any immediate truce must be linked to the release of hostages snatched by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack that set off the war.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued overnight with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory saying at least 70 people had been killed, pushing the overall toll towards 32,000.