\n Published on 24\/10\/2025 – 21:30 GMT+2
\n \u2022Updated
\n 19:42\n <\/p>\n
The European Union wants to play an active role in Middle East diplomacy following the Gaza ceasefire agreement, provided Hamas plays no role in the future of the territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cHamas is not an interlocutor for us, it\u2019s a terrorist group,\u201d the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management and Preparedness told Euronews in an exclusive interview in Brussels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see Hamas disarmed and not being part of a two-state solution,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The 20-point peace plan brokered by US President Donald Trump has opened a window of hope, but the urgency now is to alleviate the suffering and to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, Lahbib said.<\/p>\n
The Commissioner urged Israel to swiftly implement the second phase of the agreement by letting 600 trucks per day enter the territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not there yet. And so we ask the Israeli authorities to keep their promises,\u201d Lahbib said on Euronews’ flagship interview programme The Europe Conversation.<\/p>\n
Lahbib noted that the EU Foreign Affairs Council recently decided to keep pressure on Israel by putting a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the table.<\/p>\n
In September, weeks before the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the EU Commission had formally proposed to suspend certain parts of the bilateral agreement with Israel, after a review indicated potential breaches of its human rights obligations.<\/p>\n
The EU is Israel\u2019s first trading partner and the first international donor to the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this balanced approach, we also need to be sure that our rules and principles are respected,\u201d Lahbib said.<\/p>\n
Belgium not hindering \u2018a new way of funding Ukraine\u2019s war effort\u2019<\/p>\n
Pivoting to the war in Ukraine, Lahbib confirmed the EU\u2019s continuing commitment to supporting that country and its people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was minister of foreign affairs, I remember we were always repeating that we will support Ukraine as long as it takes, and we are doing so, and we will continue to do so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Commenting on Belgium\u2019s resistance to issuing a \u20ac140 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian financial assets held at Brussels-based Euroclear depository, Lahbib expressed understanding for the Belgian position.<\/p>\n
Belgium is not hindering a new way of funding Ukraine\u2019s war effort, she said.<\/p>\n
“We don’t have an example to follow, and it needs to be secured from a legal point of view. That’s the only thing, that’s the only point,” she said. “I think it’s just a question of time.”<\/p>\n
The main concern for Belgium is the Russian retaliation if Moscow demands its assets back and sanctions are lifted.<\/p>\n
“We just need to secure the legal aspect to be sure that Belgium is not going to be brought in front of a court of justice later on,” Lahbib said.<\/p>\n
After intense discussions at a European Council summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders hoped to come to an agreement over the plan.<\/p>\n