European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has condemned Israel's "disgusting" wave of deadly attacks on civilian targets in Gaza, including a school.
She made these statements during a telephone conversation with King Abdullah of Jordan on May 27.
Rescue workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, 33 of them in a school converted into a shelter.
The Israeli attacks are part of their renewed offensive aimed at destroying Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - an offensive that has prompted international condemnation.
"The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure, including a school that served to shelter displaced Palestinian families, and killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent," von der Leyen said, according to a statement issued by the European Union regarding the conversation with the Jordanian leader.
"The European Commission has always supported - and will continue to support - Israel's right to security and self-defense," she said.
"But the escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law," von der Leyen warned.
The EC chief demanded that Israel "immediately resume the delivery of humanitarian aid, in line with humanitarian principles, and with the participation of the United Nations and other international humanitarian partners."
The European Union has struggled to exert influence on the conflict in Gaza due to long-standing divisions within the bloc between states that support Israel and those considered more pro-Palestinian.
However, the momentum to increase pressure on Israel has grown since Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas members are still holding dozens of hostages, while many others have been released under ceasefire and other agreements.
Israel's retaliatory offensive, which has devastated large parts of Gaza, has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its calculations. (A2 Televizion)
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