EU foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday to discuss the recent flare-up in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the bloc’s foreign affairs chief has said.
“In view of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties, I am convening an extraordinary [videoconference] of the EU foreign ministers on Tuesday,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said on Twitter Sunday.
“We will coordinate and discuss how the EU can best contribute to end the current violence,” Borrell added.
Hamas, the militant group ruling the Gaza Strip, has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel over the past week, prompting retaliatory strikes from Israeli forces. At least 174 people have been killed in Gaza, including 47 children and 29 women, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Ten people — including two children — have been killed by militant attacks on Israel, according to Israeli officials.
The European Union said in a statement Saturday it was “actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to contribute to defusing” the conflict, adding that “the EU’s priority and message in this context remains clear: violence must end now.”
