EU leaders call for ‘rapid aid to those in need’ amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Protesters hold signs during a demonstration outside an EU summit in Brussel (Virginia Mayo/AP)

European Union leaders have called for “continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need” as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on.

EU nations have been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians but the brutal nature of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people, and the hardship of civilians forced from their homes in Gaza, have shone a spotlight on those divisions.