The EU condemns Hamas for using hospitals and civilians such as “

European Union countries (BE) have on Monday condemned the radical Palestinian group Hamas who have declared the terrorist organisation for, as they said, the use of hospitals and civilians “as a human shield” in the fight against Israel.

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell said on Monday that, at the same time, the bloc requires Israel “to maintain itself maximum in order to avoid causing the victims among the <x1).

In a meeting with the bloc's foreign ministers, Borrell named the declaration, which he issued on behalf of all 27 countries as a sign of unity, as there have often been many weeks of controversial statements about how the EU should address the Israeli-Hamas war.

“You know how difficult it has been lately after voting in the United Nations, where countries voted in various ways to present a fully shared approach”, Borrell said.

Just hours after EU leaders said there is unity for the Israeli-Haams war on October 28th, member states were fully divided during a vote on a general Assembly resolution calling for humanitarian ceasefires in Gaza.

Now, however, EU countries said in a communiqué that they joined <x0 call for immediate pauses in fighting and humanitarian corridors, including through increased capacity at crossings and through a dedicated maritime route, so that humanitarian aid can safely reach the Gaza people”.

They also reiterated <x0 calls for Hamas to release immediately and at least all hostages”.

And they said that “The EU condemns the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields from Hamas”.

Israel says Hamas is housed among civilians in hospitals, and that Gaza City's largest hospital, Schiffa, is a prime example of that. Israel claims the Palestinian group's fighters have a command center in and under the hospital.

Israel has not offered videos or photos to witness these claims, though it has distributed images of Hamas fighters operating in residential neighbourhoods and placing rockets and weapons near schools and mosques.

EU countries did not call for ceasefires in fighting between Israel and Hamas.

More than 11,000 Palestinians, two-thirds women and children, have been killed since the war started, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas' men who died at estimates. About 2,700 have been reported missing and are believed to be trapped or dead in ruins.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel - most of them civilians - in the initial attack by Hamas, who promoted war.

While 46 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive.

Some 250,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate from communities near Gaza, where Hamas fighters are still firing missiles as well as along the northern border with Lebanon.