Israel Hamas war Day 38 Live Updates | Netanyahu dismisses calls for cease fire at Shifa Hospital

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Monday that at the same time the bloc asked Israel “for maximum restraint and targeting in order to avoid human casualties.”

At a meeting of the bloc's foreign affairs ministers, Borrell brandished a statement he issued on behalf of the 27 nations as a show of unity following weeks of often contrasting statements on how the group should address the Israel-Hamas war.

“You know how difficult it has been the last times, after the vote in the United Nations, where countries were voted in different ways, to present a completely united approach,” Borrell said. Only hours after EU leaders professed unity over the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 28, the member states were totally split in a vote on a General Assembly resolution calling for humanitarian truces in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.