"[Josep Borrell] is not hostile towards Israel, he is just speaking on behalf of the EU, urging Israel to behave in the way it is conducting the operation against Hamas terrorists," said the European Commission spokesman for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Peter Stano. At a press conference in Brussels, the spokesman for the community executive added that these are "European expectations". The question to Peter Stano arose following a statement issued by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs on behalf of 26 of the 27 member states of the community bloc. Borrell's note stated unequivocally that if Israel continued military operations in this way - highly criticized by the international community for its lack of protection for civilians - it would put Tel Aviv "in tension" with the EU. Josep Borrell "did not do so in a hostile tone", said Peter Stano. "But we need to demonstrate our perspective on the terrible humanitarian situation that the people of Gaza are experiencing," he concluded. The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which caused about 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Since then, Israel has launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused more than 35,000 deaths, according to Hamas, which has governed the small Palestinian enclave since 2007. The Israeli retaliation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.1 million people in a "catastrophic hunger situation" that is already claiming victims - "the highest number ever recorded" by the UN in food security studies in the world. Rafah, on the border with Egypt, is the main crossing point for humanitarian aid to Gaza and where more than a million displaced Palestinians from other parts of the territory have taken refuge. Despite international appeals, Israel maintains military action in Rafah, where it says the last active units of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas are located. Read Also: Guterres is "shocked by the intensification" of Israeli attacks in Rafah (Portuguese version)