The European Union on Saturday urged Israel to reopen all Gaza border crossings and allow immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access to the territory, in a statement issued by the office of Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and published by the Council of the EU on November 14.

Source: Council of the EU, Nov 14, 2026

"We urge Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale, and to reopen all Gaza border crossings," the 27-nation bloc said. "Israel must enable the work of the UN and its agencies, and humanitarian organisations including NGOs, and comply with all its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law."

Source: Council of the EU, Nov 14, 2026

Flooding and winter conditions

The EU said severe flooding and winter conditions that have struck Gaza are "further aggravating the living conditions of an already exhausted population, exacerbating unsafe conditions and human suffering." Heavy rain has directly affected at least 106,000 people in Gaza in recent days, according to the UN children's agency UNICEF, with thousands of tents for displaced Palestinians submerged and latrines overflowing into camps, Al Jazeera reported.

Source: Al Jazeera, Nov 14, 2026

Damage from Israeli attacks on Gaza's infrastructure has worsened the floods, which have submerged large areas of the enclave, local officials and the UN said this week, according to Al Jazeera. Gaza's media office reported that more than 700 kilometres of the territory's sewage network has been destroyed.

Source: Al Jazeera, Nov 14, 2026

'Deeply alarming': the Nasser Hospital strike

The EU underlined that international law, including international humanitarian law, must be respected at all times, including the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure, and medical personnel and facilities. "The recent airstrike on the Nasser Hospital is deeply alarming," the statement said. An Israeli air attack on the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza on Thursday killed at least six Palestinians, including a surgeon, and left dozens wounded, according to Gaza health officials cited by Al Jazeera.

Source: Al Jazeera, Nov 14, 2026

Foreign ministers of 18 Arab and Muslim nations condemned the Nasser strike earlier on Saturday. Read that story

The EU statement came a day after the UN's Humanitarian Country Team for the occupied Palestinian territory appealed for winter supplies to be let into Gaza immediately, saying lives were at stake and that the storm toll had been preventable. The EU noted that a year after the ceasefire was announced, military strikes continue and shortages of essential items — including suitable shelter, medicine and medical equipment — persist because of access restrictions.

Source: Council of the EU, Nov 14, 2026

The UN team said 150,000 tents are waiting outside Gaza while storm damage mounts inside. Read the UN appeal story

Also on Saturday, an Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians walking on a street in Jabaliya, on the northern edge of Gaza City, according to Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken; the American field hospital said several other people were wounded. The Israeli military said it had struck two Hamas militants in the area. Both accounts are reported as attributed claims.

Source: Al Jazeera, Nov 14, 2026

What the EU is asking for next

The bloc reaffirmed its commitment to the two-state solution and called on all actors to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 without delay — including the permanent decommissioning of weapons from Hamas and other non-state armed groups, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and a civilian transition in Gaza, adding that Hamas should have no role in Gaza's future governance. It also recalled that aid should be used solely for peaceful purposes and not diverted by armed groups. No immediate Israeli response to the EU statement was reported in the coverage available on Saturday.

Source: Council of the EU, Nov 14, 2026