While expectations for a major breakthrough were modest, Tuesday's meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels delivered what analysts say is a small but significant development: EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas announced a review of the bloc's trade partnership with Israel.

This marks the first formal step in response to mounting calls for stronger action over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

As Israel intensifies the military offensive that it began in early May in and around the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and continues to maintain a tight control on aid entering Gaza, pressure has been mounting on Brussels from several EU member states to send a strong signal to the Israeli government.

On Tuesday, Kallas announced that the European Commission would review the EU-Israel Association Agreement — a free trade pact that governs political and economic relations between the two sides.

Though she welcomed news that Israel had allowed some humanitarian aid to enter Gaza after an 11-week-long blockade, Kallas said this was a "drop in the ocean" given the situation was "catastrophic."

Israel has since rejected Kallas' critique.

"We completely reject the direction taken in the statement, which reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing," Israeli's Foreign Minister posted on X late Tuesday.

Ten countries reportedly didn't back the EU's review, with Israel's Foreign Ministry also thanking these nations.

The United Nations said on Tuesday it had received permission to send some 100 trucks of aid into Gaza, as humanitarian assistance began to trickle back into the territory.

But it has said in the past that 500 trucks of aid and commercial goods are needed every day.

In March, Israel broke a temporary ceasefire with the Gaza-based militant group Hamas and tightened restrictions on humanitarian access again.

In April, the European Union announced a three-year financial support package for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, worth up to €1.6 billion ($1.8........

© Deutsche Welle