The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it condemned the Islamist Hamas organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, calling on the Palestinian group to immediately release Israeli citizens and the bodies of IDF soldiers held by the organization. The resolution also emphasizes that Hamas is a terror organization who transformed Gaza into an enclave focused on terror, withholds basic rights from its citizens, prevents the strip’s rehabilitation and continues to hinder the chance for reconciliation. The European Union also holds Hamas accountable for the assassination attempt of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and condemns the organization for acts of terror, rocket fire, infiltration attempts into Israel, diggings of cross border attack tunnels and the use of citizens as human shields.
The Resolution also condemned Israel for shooting at Gazan residents protesting on the Palestinian enclave’s border with the Jewish state and called for an investigation that will be executed by a special team assembled by its chief of staff. That said, the EU determined that despite the Palestinians’ right to peaceful protests, the leadership in Gaza must avoid incitement and ensure demonstrations would not be used for spreading terror.