BRUSSELS 

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has stated that Israel should exert more effort to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza.

During his visit to Israel with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, De Croo emphasized the importance of reaching a consensus for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, where Israel continues its attacks.

Highlighting the dire situation of millions of people and the urgent need to deliver humanitarian aid, De Croo said: "We believe that everyone in Israel should respect international humanitarian law. As democratic countries, our standards should be high. We must do everything to prevent the killing of innocent civilians on both sides and to implement international humanitarian law."

De Croo later told reporters they had a "very frank" discussion with Netanyahu.

Emphasizing that they do not want another 10,000 people to die, De Croo stated: "Israel needs to do more to prevent civilian casualties."

Leading the EU presidency, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who will take over the EU presidency on Jan. 1, visited Israel as part of efforts to find a solution to the situation in Gaza and the Israel-Palestine issue.

Following their talks in Israel, Sanchez and De Croo plan to visit Palestine to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by a visit to Egypt.

Sanchez, after his visit to Israel, stated: "Israel has the right to defend itself. However, this right cannot encompass the deaths of innocent civilians, including thousands of children, in Gaza."

Sanchez called for the initiation of diplomatic efforts for an international peace conference to achieve a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue.