Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will seek to persuade his European counterparts in Brussels on Monday not to impose sanctions on Israel over the Gaza war, Israeli diplomats told Al-Monitor. The same sources indicated that, following Israel’s decision on Saturday to expand the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, significant penalties are not expected to be announced when the bloc's foreign ministers meet on Tuesday.

What happened: Saar arrived in Brussels to attend the EU-Southern Neighborhood ministerial meeting, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the EU and countries around the Mediterranean, including Syria and Libya. Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian is also expected to attend. Monday’s meeting comes one day ahead of the regular EU foreign ministers’ gathering, where the bloc is expected to debate whether Israel has done enough to avoid sanctions — or whether further pressure is needed.

Saar’s visit comes as the European Union considers possible punitive measures in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, where nearly two years of war have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to local authorities, and triggered a worsening humanitarian crisis. The EU’s diplomatic service last week presented member states with a list of 10 possible actions against Israel — ranging from suspending technical cooperation to freezing elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement — after finding “indications” that Israel may have breached its human rights obligations under the pact. “Our aim is not to punish Israel,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Friday, “but to really improve the situation on the ground.”

Behind the scenes: A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Al-Monitor that after the European foreign ministers meeting in June, Saar and Kallas decided to establish a formal dialogue on humanitarian aid to Gaza. They set up a joint group to inspect the issue, led by Christophe Bigot, the EU’s new Middle East envoy, and by Foreign Ministry Director-General Eden Bar Tal. When Bigot visited Israel last week, the ministry and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency responsible for facilitating humanitarian aid and civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, presented Saar with various options for increasing humanitarian aid, and he outlined what the EU hoped to see implemented in the Strip. As a result, several measures were agreed upon.