EU top diplomat: 'Israel responded disproportionately to Hamas attack'

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell declared that Israel has responded disproportionately to the Hamas attack on 7 October, warning of a “disaster” in the Gaza Strip where Israel is using “starvation” as a weapon.

“We are already in the midst of a disaster, and the United Nations (UN) has been forced to suspend humanitarian aid. Israel uses hunger as a weapon, and this is against international law,” Borrell asserted in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Borrell pointed out that Israel has destroyed Gaza, noting that the use of this kind of force was “disproportionate”.

He also explained that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans regarding the Gaza Strip are: “Unacceptable… and the seeds of hatred are being planted for generations.”

Since October, Israel has been waging a devastating war against the besieged Gaza Strip, which has led to killing 29,514 people and wounding 69,616 others, in addition to the displacement of more than 85 per cent (about 1.9 million people) of the Strip’s population, according to Palestinian and UN figures.

Watch: MEP questions EU funding for Israeli Pegasus spyware used to target journalists and politicians