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European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera on Thursday described Israel’s war on Gaza as "genocide," the strongest such condemnation yet from a senior European Union official.
Speaking at Sciences Po University in Paris, Ribera also criticized Europe’s failure to act with one voice on the conflict.
"The genocide in Gaza exposes Europe’s failure to act and speak with one voice, even as protests spread across European cities and 14 UN Security Council members call for an immediate ceasefire," she said in response to a student’s question.
Ribera described the war as "a real test, not only for Europeans but for the world as a whole." She voiced frustration over the EU’s divisions, saying she shared the disappointment at the bloc’s inability to agree on a common stance.
"It is very frustrating to see that we still have difficulties to come up in a united manner, and I am among those feeling this frustration," she said. She added that the focus must remain on pushing for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, the protection of civilians and journalists, and the recovery of daily life in Gaza.
While Ribera’s remarks represent the harshest language yet from an EU official, the European Commission as an institution does not officially define the war as genocide. Officials have previously said that legal determinations on genocide should be left to the courts.
However, Ribera’s use of the term "genocide" could add pressure on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take a tougher line. In July, the Commission proposed cutting funding to Israeli start-ups over the war, but the plan has yet to gain the support of a majority of EU member states.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its Gaza offensive, while the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed at least 64,231 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, whose figures are regarded as reliable by the United Nations.
On Thursday, the enclave’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli forces killed at least 44 people, including 25 in Gaza City. One airstrike hit a tent sheltering a displaced family, killing five people, three of them children.
In August, the UN declared the first-ever famine in the Middle East, warning that more than half a million people in Gaza were facing catastrophic hunger due to Israel’s blockade.
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