EU member states could not rally the support necessary to suspend Israel from the Horizon Europe fund in response to the war in Gaza. The proposal needed a qualified majority of member states to pass it.

The European Union's executive body recommended on Monday curbing Israeli access to its flagship research funding programme after calls from EU countries to increase pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The European Commission has proposed suspending Israel's participation in parts of the Horizon Europe research funding programme due to the worsening conditions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access,