Ireland is pressing its European Union partners to impose sanctions on Israel over the ongoing war in Gaza, Irish public broadcaster RTE reported Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Simon Harris has written to EU counterparts urging them to co-sign a letter to the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, demanding swift action. According to the report, Harris stressed that EU member states are “ready to work… immediately to overcome the current obstacles and ensure that sufficient pressure is applied to the Israeli government to change its course and meet its obligations under international law.”

The push follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent call for sanctions against Israel’s “extremist ministers and violent settlers,” alongside a partial freeze of the EU-Israel trade agreement. Several EU countries — including Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands — support the suspension of the deal, while others, led by Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, remain opposed.

The conflict, now in its second year, erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched cross-border raids that killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Israel’s military response has left at least 64,905 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

International calls for a ceasefire and a two-state solution have intensified as the humanitarian toll continues to rise.