The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs will travel to Rafah and then to Lebanon to meet with UN agencies and the Emergency Rescue Committee.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Egypt on Monday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on how to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) said Mr Borrell’s visit was taking place ” in the context of the war in Gaza, where the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the fate of the hostages make an urgent ceasefire even more critical “.
Gaza is on the brink of famine and health system collapse due to repeated Israeli strikes that have decimated the area in retaliation for Hamas terror attacks and the Israeli hostage-taking on October 7 last year.
After his meeting with the Egyptian president, Mr Borrell is due to travel to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing point, which connects to the Gaza Strip, where he will meet with UN agencies on the ground, the EEAS said.
He will also inaugurate an EU-funded project to help children in Gaza and those caring for them in Egypt, and discuss mediation efforts by Egypt, the United States and Qatar, as well as the EU’s role in alleviating human suffering in the Gaza Strip.
Mr Borrell will also travel to Lebanon later this week to discuss the country’s stability and its regional role in the conflict, the EEAS said.
” This mission is part of the EU’s ongoing regional action to prevent further escalation. “, the agency added.
Mr Borrell’s visit comes at a time of heightened tension after a Jordanian truck driver shot dead three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the West Bank on Sunday.
The trip to Egypt also follows calls last week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israeli forces to remain in the Salah Al Din corridor in Gaza, near the Egyptian border.
The status of this area would be an important element of any ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.