Israeli officials' 'insinuations of forced displacement are completely unacceptable,' says EU foreign policy chief

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borell said Thursday that declarations by Israeli government representatives about making life impossible for civilians in Gaza, ultimately forcing them to leave, are "disturbing, counterproductive and dangerous."

"Civilians in Gaza must be protected. Insinuations of forced displacement are completely unacceptable," he wrote on X.

Border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

It has killed at least 23,469 Palestinians and injured 59,167 others, according to health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas offensive.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of the population is food insecure, according to the UN.

Hundreds of thousands of residents are living without shelter and ⁠less than half the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.