Robert Abela said on Friday he expected European institutions to be consistent in their position about the conflict in the Middle East, just as they had been in the wake of other wars.

The Prime Minister was addressing a European Council summit in Brussels, where he called for long-term peace in the region brought about by an immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution.

Leaders of the 27 EU countries met on Thursday and Friday to discuss help for Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, among others.

Ahead of the meeting, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel, stressing the seriousness of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the possibility of the conflict escalating throughout the region.

The four urged the council to take a strong position about the Middle East, ensuring the EU remained "credible on an international level and consistent with positions it took when it comes to other conflicts", the government said in a statement on Friday.

"How can we continue accepting the indiscriminate killing of innocent people and others who were forced to flee their own homes," Abela asked fellow leaders.

"I'm disappointed that there was no consensus on international pressure about the situation in the Middle East. I expected European institutions to be consistent with the position they took about other conflicts." 

Abela shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during the summit.

Abela called on fellow leaders to immediately address the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. He also insisted on the implementation of the Malta-led United Nations Security Council's resolution that called for “extended humanitarian pauses” in the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

Abela suggested financial and political aid to the Palestinian authorities that would allow them to effectively govern the Gaza Strip and West Bank, warning that the conflict could negatively impact neighbouring countries.