Summary of the day
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “the people of Gaza need an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire – and they need it now.”
In her speech at the European parliament, von der Leyen also said that Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken “impressive steps forward” and that the Commission will recommend to the Council to open accession negotiations with the country.
At a summit next week, EU leaders are set to say that “the European Council is deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza,” according to draft conclusions seen by the Guardian.
They are also expected to urge “the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah” and to call for “an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire.”
Two people died as they attempted to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, while four others were evacuated to hospital in serious condition.
Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services were “massively affected nationwide” today, the rail operator said after train drivers’ union GDL called a strike.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said that he is planning a trip to Ankara in May.
Swedish police have forcibly removed Greta Thunberg and other climate activists after they blocked the entrance to the Swedish parliament for a second day.
Hungary summons US ambassador
Hungary on Tuesday summoned the US ambassador over comments from the US president, Joe Biden, who said the country’s leader wants a dictatorship.
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, visited Florida on Friday for talks with Donald Trump.
During a campaign event in Philadelphia, Biden referred to his rival’s meeting with the Hungarian politician: “You know who he’s meeting with today down at Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works, he’s looking for dictatorship.”
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, dismissed the American president’s words as “lies.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, he said the American ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, had been summoned and met with a senior Hungarian official earlier in the day.
“We asked the ambassador to show us the quote, with location and time,” Szijjártó said, denying that Orbán ever said what Biden described. “This is a very serious insult,” the minister said.
