Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Simon Harris has urged the European Union to act against Israel over the Gaza famine, Al Jazeera reports.

Responding to an RTE News report that more than 200 former European ambassadors and officials had signed a letter, urging the EU to step up action over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Harris described the letter as a “vital, unprecedented intervention”.

“If we don’t take collective action now against the backdrop of famine, when will we?” he said, adding that “collective EU action could make a powerful difference”.

In a series of social media posts, Harris said if the bloc fails to act, “groups of member states should seek to work together”, but warned this would be “less impactful” and an “indictment on our ability to act as a collective” given the EU has already found Israel in breach of the Association Agreement.