The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, who is making an official visit to Israel this Thursday, asked the Foreign Minister of that country, Eli Cohen, not to let “anger consume him” and that at “a certain moment we have to see how this war ends.”

“I feel your fear and your pain and that of the people who have been attacked, murdered. I understand your anger, but let me ask you not to let your anger consume you,” Borrell said at a press conference. “What makes the difference between a civilized society and a terrorist group is respect for human life and all human lives have the same value,” he added.

This is the first visit to Israel by the head of European diplomacy since the escalation broke out on October 7. That day, Israel declared war on Hamas after an attack by the Islamist movement that included the launching of rockets and the incursion of some 3,000 militiamen who massacred more than 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 240.

Since then, Israel launched a military offensive by air, land and sea against the Gaza Strip that has left more than 11,500 dead, almost 30,000 injured, 3,400 missing and some 1.7 million displaced people living amid the collapse of hospitals and a humanitarian crisis due to the lack of drinking water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel.

Borrell made these statements after visiting the Beeri kibbutz, about 4 km from the Gaza Strip, where Israeli authorities showed him the destruction caused by the Hamas attack and an inhabitant of this community told him how he experienced the brutal aggression of the Hamas militiamen. islamist group,

The European Union (EU) “condemns the actions of Hamas in the harshest terms,” ??Borrell stressed, expressing that the bloc “unequivocally supports Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law and international humanitarian law.” “.

Likewise, he indicated that “nothing justifies what the Hamas terrorists did here and in other places, nothing justifies the kidnapping of women, children and the elderly from their homes and that they have been taken hostage to Gaza.” “Once again, on behalf of the EU, I call for his immediate and unconditional release,” she said.

“Hamas has to be defeated, but Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. We know that war is horrible and what we have seen here is horrible. (But) one horror does not justify another horror,” said the head of European diplomacy, remember that “innocent civilians, including thousands of children” have been killed or forced from their homes.

In this sense, he advocated for the entry of more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which until now was insufficient. “The European Union calls for rapid and continuous access of humanitarian aid” as well as the creation of humanitarian corridors, Borrell said at the conference, which did not allow questions.

The head of European diplomacy began this Thursday in Israel a tour that will take him to the occupied West Bank, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan to address humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and a solution to the conflict through dialogue.

“We need a political horizon that looks towards a two-state solution. This can only be achieved through dialogue,” Borrell indicated through his profile on the social network X (formerly Twitter) just before embarking on the trip.

Last March, Israel refused to receive Borrell on an official visit due to his positions and statements regarding the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Official Israeli sources then explained that, although there had been no formal request from the high representative for an official visit to the Jewish State, there was a demonstration of intention after the inauguration of the new Government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Without referring to this controversy, Borrell began his intervention with the statement that Cohen had invited him to visit Israel in September, but that at that time he could not imagine that he would make the visit under “these tragic circumstances.”