DOHA, July 30. /TASS/. The European Union is considering sanctions against Israel for its actions in the Gaza Strip and its refusal to provide sufficient humanitarian aid, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the Saudi TV channel Al Arabiya.

"We are deeply shocked by what has been happening in Gaza in recent months. What is happening in the sector is a disgrace and a shame that must be stopped," the channel quoted Barrot as saying in Arabic. "The European Union intends to vote for the imposition of sanctions against Israel," he added, noting that the European Commission (EC) has proposed a number of restrictive measures against the Israeli government.

The French minister also expressed Paris' concern about the Israeli aid distribution system in Gaza and called on the Israeli government to ensure the delivery of French aid to the sector, which is located in the Egyptian city of El-Arish.

"We are telling Israel that your security will be guaranteed if the Palestinians get their own state," Barrot said. In his opinion, the UN conference on Palestine initiated by Paris and Riyadh helped "create a new impetus for the recognition of the Palestinian state." According to the French foreign minister, the final document of the conference contains a condemnation of the actions of the Palestinian Hamas movement and a call "for its disarmament and expulsion."

On Monday, El Pa·s reported that the EC is considering a partial suspension of the association agreement with Israel amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. According to it, Brussels will study a proposal to suspend participation of the Jewish state in the Horizon Europe research program. According to El Pa·s, this measure is one of the mildest among the 10 options that head of EU diplomacy Kaja Kallas had previously proposed to the union's foreign ministers.

On July 29, Euronews TV channel reported that a group of 40 members of the European Parliament called on the EU to impose sanctions against the Israeli authorities and suspend the trade agreement with that country.