European Union foreign ministers were deeply split Saturday over the war in Gaza, with some calling for the EU to apply strong economic pressure on Israel while others made clear they were unwilling to go that far.

“We are divided about this issue,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said as she arrived for a meeting with the ministers in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

“If you don’t have a unified voice… on this topic, we don’t have a voice on the global scene. So that’s definitely very problematic,” she said.

Kallas said she was “not very optimistic” that ministers could agree on a proposal she described as lenient — as it is less severe than other options — to curb Israeli access to an EU research-funding program.

The war, launched in response to the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian terror group Hamas, has brought to the surface deeply rooted differences among the EU’s 27 countries on the Middle East.

Many EU governments have criticized Israel’s conduct of the war, particularly over the deaths of civilians and restrictions on humanitarian aid. But they have been unable to agree on impactful EU political or economic action.

Countries including Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands have called for the suspension of an EU free trade pact with Israel.

But traditional allies of Israel, such as Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic, have rejected such steps.

“If the EU does not act as a collective now and take sanctions against Israel, whenever will it? What more could it possibly take? Children are starving,” said Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris.

The European Union is Israel’s largest trading partner, with trade in goods between the two amounting to 42.6 billion euros ($50 billion) last year, according to the EU.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin had made clear that Israel had to respect humanitarian principles in its war against Hamas and that Germany had suspended delivery of weapons that could be used in Gaza.

But he said Germany was “not very convinced” by the proposal to curb Israeli access to EU research funds, questioning how suspending such civilian cooperation that he described as sensible would be useful.

European Commission officials say they proposed the measure to send an initial signal to Israel, and because it does not need unanimity to pass.

Support from 15 countries would be enough if they represent 65% of the EU population.

Israel has rejected criticism of its conduct of the war and says its military action is necessary to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the hostages held by terrorists in the Strip.

Last week, the United Nations’ Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in parts of Gaza, blaming the “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian deliveries by Israel. Israel has dismissed the IPC report as “fabricated” and a “modern blood libel.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.