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LONDON: A group representing thousands of EU officials has accused the bloc of failing to act meaningfully in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning its inaction has helped enable Israel’s ongoing military offensive.

The group, EU Staff for Peace, said more than 2,000 staff members from the European Commission, the European Parliament and other EU agencies had signed a letter sharply critical of the bloc’s leadership back in May 2024.

The letter marked its one-year anniversary this week with a renewed appeal to EU leaders, it was reported by The Guardian on Monday.

“The EU institutions have failed to bring the European Union’s political, diplomatic and economic influence to bear in order to ameliorate the situation in Gaza,” the group wrote in its latest letter, addressed to the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.

The letter accuses the EU of “little or no meaningful action” over the past year, saying the bloc’s “inaction” has “contributed to the environment of unaccountability that resulted in the full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip taking place at this moment.”

The renewed appeal comes just days after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced a long-awaited review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, following pressure from a large majority of member states.

The staff group welcomed the move but said it had come “devastatingly late for thousands killed in Gaza.”

Zeno Benetti, one of the letter’s co-authors, said: “The recent announcement of a review of the EU-Israel association agreement — 20 months into the conflict, and as thousands of children face starvation due to the renewed blockade on humanitarian aid — raises serious concerns about the adequacy and timing of the EU’s response.” 

The EU-Israel agreement, signed in 2000, can only be fully suspended by unanimous agreement among all 27 member states. However, key provisions such as trade cooperation and Israel’s participation in EU research programs can be frozen via a weighted-majority vote.

EU Staff for Peace had previously called for a full suspension of the agreement, an end to EU member states’ arms exports to Israel, and concrete support for the work of the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.

The group’s new letter also accuses EU institutions of applying an “apparent double standard” for failing to condemn European leaders who have welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an ICC arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

In April, Hungary hosted Netanyahu for a four-day state visit. Poland reportedly considered inviting him to a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In Germany, opposition leader Friedrich Merz pledged to find a way for Netanyahu to visit the country without facing arrest.

The staff group has requested meetings with the offices of the three EU presidents and continues to hold weekly rallies outside the European Council and Commission buildings in Brussels calling for peace in the Middle East.

The European Commission has not immediately responded to a request for comment, but Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the situation in Gaza was “unacceptable” and called for an end to Israel’s blockade and the immediate release of Israeli hostages.