The Belgian federal government has approved a series of measures, including an import ban on goods originating from the occupied Palestinian territories, at its final meeting before the summer recess.
The import ban was part of an agreement reached by the government at the end of last summer in response to Israel's military offensive in Gaza and the mounting civilian death toll.
Details on how the ban will be implemented have yet to be finalised, according to Belga News Agency.
The decision comes as Israel continues to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
‘De facto annexation’
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said on Friday that Israeli authorities had advanced plans for 1,024 settlement units on more than 1,069 dunams of Palestinian land since the beginning of July.
The commission said the projects, including expansions of the Mevo Dotan, Beit Hagai and Asael settlements, were aimed at consolidating Israel's “de facto annexation” of the occupied territory.
The United Nations has repeatedly said Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
Ongoing ceasefire violations
Israel continued to violate the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since October 10, 2025.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israeli ceasefire violations had killed more than 1,100 Palestinians and injured over 3,600 others.
The ministry says Israel's military campaign in Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded over 173,000, while causing widespread destruction to about 90 percent of the enclave's civilian infrastructure.
