EU calls for 'pauses' in hostilities, humanitarian corridors in Gaza

Brussels, Nov 13 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has called for "immediate pauses in hostilities" and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Gaza, the EU foreign policy chief said in a statement.

"The EU is gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in the statement.

The EU calls for "continued, rapid, safe and unhindered" humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need, emphasizing that international humanitarian law stipulates that "hospitals, medical supplies and civilians inside hospitals must be protected", Xinhua news agency reported.

Hospitals must also be supplied immediately with the most urgent medical supplies and patients that require urgent medical care need to be evacuated safely, the statement noted.

In the statement, the EU also urges Israel "to exercise maximum restraint to ensure the protection of civilians."