EU member states will discuss “further action” to suspend parts of its association agreement with Israel unless the situation in Gaza improves before their next meeting in July, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after talks in Brussels on Monday.

The Netherlands had called on officials to assess whether Israel is violating the terms of the agreement, particularly in relation to human rights — a move backed by 16 other member states.

The report “was very clear that Israel had breached its human rights commitments in Gaza and the West Bank,” Kallas said. “Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground. If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss further measures and come back in July.”

The meeting had already been planned before the United States carried out airstrikes on nuclear targets and a prison in Iran. It also came after a draft of the EU review, signalling Israel had breached its agreements with the EU, was leaked to various media, provoking a furious reaction from Tel Aviv.

Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp told reporters ahead of the gathering that he wanted to keep the focus on Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the consequences of US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.

Suspending the agreement “is not meant as a punishment, but to achieve something on the ground,” Veldkamp said on Monday. “I am still working for a ceasefire in Gaza. That is the best way to get humanitarian aid in on a massive scale, to free the remaining hostages and to end the conflict.”

There is no consensus among EU countries about suspending the agreement entirely, but one diplomat told Euronews that ministers had discussed a partial suspension, possibly targeting cooperation on free trade, research and technology.

Kallas will now work with the European Commission to explore measures that could be passed by a qualified majority, requiring the support of at least 55% of member states representing 65% of the EU population.

So far, only Spain has called for the immediate suspension of the agreement. Belgium, Ireland and Sweden have also pushed for action, while Germany, Greece and Italy oppose any suspension.

According to Politico, four officials have confirmed that interim measures, such as paring back trade ties, are being considered and could be passed by a qualified majority of countries.