European Union foreign policy chief and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell cancelled his planned visit to Israel after being denied permission.
Borrell was currently on a regional tour, during which he visited Egypt and Lebanon for talks on current regional tensions. He also told Israeli Ambassador to the EU Haim Regev that he decided to cancel his visit to Israel after Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz refused to allow it.
The chief announced his plans to visit Israel on 14-15 September, but Tel Aviv asked him to postpone the visit until the end of October, i.e. after his term in Brussels ended. The EU diplomatic chief has been criticised by Israel over his call for sanctions against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over their anti-Palestinian messages.
He also expressed his anger on Thursday over Israeli airstrikes on a UN-run school that killed at least 34 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza a day earlier.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 41,100 people have been killed and more than 95,100 injured since the start of the Israeli retaliatory operation.
