The European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday adopted a resolution, calling for increased humanitarian aid to and for an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the immediate and sustainable reopening of the crossing points between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The resolution, adopted at the EP plenary session in Brussels with 488 votes in favor, five against and 19 abstentions, urged a damage assessment in Gaza and an in-depth evaluation of the needs of the Gaza population, with the evaluation to possibly serve as a basis for the reconstruction plans for the Gaza Strip.

In the resolution, the EP called on the European Commission to draw up an evaluation of prospects for reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip to be financed by the European Union (EU) within the framework of PEGASE, which is an instrument launched to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian State, and of ECHO, the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office.

The EP stressed that the EU's financial support to the Palestinians should not be undermined by continuous destruction, which is diminishing support for reconstruction projects in European public opinion.

In view of the International Conference in support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on March 2, the EP resolution stressed that any sustainable reconstruction and development policy in the Gaza Strip needs a durable ceasefire.

The resumption of "serious" peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians together with a Palestinian national reconciliation process is also needed, said the resolution.

The EP urged other donors to make pledges at the forthcoming donors' conference and to commit to the pledges they made at the last donors' conference in Paris in December 2007.

Meanwhile, the document urges prevention of smuggling and illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition to the Gaza Strip.