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Middle East conflict

Gaza needs humanitarian pause, top EU diplomat says

Josep Borrell stressed that the attacks of missiles, of rockets from Hamas throughout Gaza had to stop as well

BRUSSELS, October 23. /TASS/. The fighting in Gaza should be halted for a humanitarian pause, given the priority of delivering aid to the region, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said upon his arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

"We will discuss also about the call of the United Nations for a humanitarian pause, which is also needed, even for gving back the hostages," Borrell said. "The attacks of missiles, of rockets from Hamas throughout Gaza have to stop. The hostages, the people who have been kidnapped, have to be released, obviously. It is part of any step towards de-escalation," he added.

"The first day, 20 trucks were allowed to come in - 20. Yesterday, they were about 20 more. But in normal times, without the war, 100 trucks entered into Gaza every day. So, it is clear that 20 [trucks], it is not enough," he emphasized. "It is important to have fuel in order to make the power stations work and the desalination stations work. Otherwise, there is no water, there is no electricity. Without water and electricity, the hospitals can barely work," Borrell added.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

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Middle East conflict

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