Israel under pressure to let aid into Gaza

European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said fresh attacks killed dozens of people on Tuesday.

An AFP journalist saw some trucks entering the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza from the Israeli side on Tuesday, a day after the UN said it had been cleared to send aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.

The dire humanitarian situation in the Strip has prompted an international outcry, with the European Union saying it would review its trade cooperation deal with Israel over alleged human rights abuses following a foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday.

The bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said "a strong majority" of its 27 member states backed the move, adding "the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid".

Sweden said it would press the EU to level sanctions against Israeli ministers.

"Since we do not see a clear improvement for the civilians in Gaza, we need to raise the tone further," said Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

And Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said it was imposing sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest actions so far against Israel's conduct of the war.