Israel should be sanctioned if it doesn't accept immediate cease-fire in Gaza: Ex-Greek premier

Israel should be sanctioned if it doesn't accept an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, said the former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Speaking at a meeting of the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in the Norwegian capital Oslo, Tsipras called on the Council of Europe to push for sanctions on Israel if it doesn't accept a cease-fire in Gaza in parallel to immediate release of hostages by Hamas, according to EFSYN news outlet on Thursday.

“Words are not enough as Europe's double standards are undermining the concept of European values every day,” he added.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and nearly 81,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.