EU leader calls for sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she will seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza.

The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it's unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.

Meanwhile, emergency personnel in Qatar dug through the rubble of an Israeli attack on Hamas' political leaders who had gathered in the energy-rich Mideast nation to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The strike Tuesday on the territory of a US ally drew widespread condemnation from several countries in the Mideast and beyond.

Hamas said in a statement that all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranked members were killed. Qatar said a member of its Internal Security Force died and others were wounded in the attack.

Von der Leyen said she plans to freeze support to Israel given by the European Union's executive branch, which would not require the approval of the 27 member countries.

It was not immediately clear how much financial support the executive branch, known as the European Commission, provides to Israel and what it is used for.

"We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold. We will stop all payments in these areas, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem," the Holocaust memorial, von der Leyen told EU lawmakers.

The commission also gives support to the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar threatens to upend negotiations over a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and Israel's efforts to reach out to Gulf Arab states.

That's according to an analysis Wednesday by the New York-based think tank The Soufan Center.

"The attack has profound strategic implications because by striking a Gulf Cooperation Council state, Israel risks undermining the Abraham Accords and unraveling the fragile normalization framework with Arab partners," the center said, referring to the 2020 diplomatic recognition deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

"Israel's strike on Qatar raises the uncomfortable question: if a state like Qatar, with its carefully cultivated neutrality and commitment to peacemaking, is punished for its role, who will dare step into the vacuum of mediation in the future?" the center asked.

von der Leyen said that the events in Gaza and the suffering of children and families "has shaken the conscience of the world."

"Man made famine can never be a weapon of war. For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity. This must stop," she added, to applause in the European Parliament at its meeting in Strasbourg, France.

Von der Leyen added that the commission "will set up a Palestine donor group next month," part of which will focus on Gaza's future reconstruction.

Her words represented a sharp turnaround in her thinking, as she'd previously been a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Qatar's local media hewed tightly to government statements issued after Tuesday's attack, which killed at least six people in a neighborhood in Doha home to foreign embassies and schools.

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, held a series of calls with world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sheikh Tamim in the call condemned the attack "and held the Israeli entity responsible for its repercussions, in light of the policy of aggression they adopt that threatens the region's stability and obstructs efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions," a readout of the call said.

Agencies