FM Katz to meet with EU foreign ministers to advocate pressure on Hamas, hostage release

Katz will also present his European counterparts with strategic plans and projects to promote the region, including the "Tracks for Regional Peace" initiative, connecting the Middle East and Europe.

Israel's Finance Minister Israel Katz (photo credit: SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Israel's Finance Minister Israel Katz
(photo credit: SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/POOL VIA REUTERS)

Foreign Minister Israel Katz is set to depart for Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday evening, where he will address the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) to highlight the need to defeat Hamas and secure the freedom of all the hostages still being held by the terrorist organization, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced. 

According to the ministry’s statement, FM Katz will participate in the FAC along with the 27 foreign ministers of the European Union. 

He will additionally have meetings with the foreign ministers of the European Union, France, Greece, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, and the Czech Republic, as well as with other senior European Union officials.

Katz will also present his European counterparts with strategic plans and projects to promote the region, including the "Tracks for Regional Peace" initiative, connecting the Middle East and Europe.

"Railways for Regional Peace"

Minister Katz will present strategic plans and projects to promote the region to his counterparts, including the "Tracks for Regional Peace" project, an initiative that will connect the Middle East and Europe.

 Israel Katz attends the Special Committee for Oversight of the Israeli Citizens' Fund at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 4, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Israel Katz attends the Special Committee for Oversight of the Israeli Citizens' Fund at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 4, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

"We are continuing a diplomatic campaign to support the heroic IDF soldiers and defeat Hamas, said Katz. “At the meetings, I will work to mobilize the European Union to exert pressure to secure the return of the hostages, take action against Hamas, and advance economic projects that will transform the region and counter Iran."