The European Union has announced sanctions on five Israelis - including those termed "extremist settlers" - and three organisations for abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The list included Tzav 9, a group which it said had regularly blocked humanitarian aid trucks delivering food, water and fuel to Gaza.

Tzav 9 has been sanctioned by the US over activities including blocking, harassing and damaging aid shipments.

Also on the list were Ben-Zion Gopstein, founder and leader of the Lehava organisation, and Isaschar Manne, whom the EU described as the founder of an unauthorised outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Both have also been sanctioned by the United States, as has Tzav 9, which the US said last week opposes Jewish assimilation with non-Jews and agitates against Arabs in the name of religion and national security.

There was no immediate comment by those sanctioned.

The sanctions, under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, include an asset freeze and a travel ban to EU countries.

Including today's listings, 113 natural and legal persons and 31 entities from a range of countries have been sanctioned under the Regime.


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The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence in the past year, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 565 Palestinians have died in the West Bank in military raids and in violence with Israeli settlers since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.

The United States, Britain and Canada have also blacklisted Israeli settlers.

The latest EU moves against Israeli settlers follow measures targeting funders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The bloc - which has struggled to settle on a unified position on the war in Gaza - has agreed to sequence sanctions against Hamas with those targeting settlers.