Prague/Brussels - Israel's land attack on the Gaza Strip was expected, but cannot justify the suffering inflicted on the civilian population, the European Union's presidency said in a statement Sunday.

"Launching land operations by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip is not surprising, there were indications that Israel had been considering this step. But even the indisputable right of the state to defend itself does not allow actions which largely affect civilians," the Czech government said.

The Czech Republic currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, having taken over the role from France on Thursday.

Later on Sunday, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg is set to lead an EU peace mission to the Middle East in a bid to broker a ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas, which the EU lists as a terrorist organization.

Ahead of the mission, EU foreign ministers at an emergency meeting in Paris on Tuesday called for an immediate truce and the full opening of the Gaza Strip to international aid agencies.

The Czech statement repeated that demand, calling for "the facilitation of humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, and ... the establishment of a ceasefire."

But diplomats said Sunday that Israel's decision to launch a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip made the chances of successful mediation much smaller.

Prospects for any progress in the coming days' diplomatic efforts "have diminished dramatically," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who is to accompany Schwarzenberg on the mission, said in a statement late Saturday. (dpa)