Brussels, 10 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) - European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has invited Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki to an emergency meeting of top diplomats on Tuesday.

The meeting was convened following the large-scale attack on Israel by Islamist Hamas fighters on Saturday, in which at least 900 Israelis were killed. Retaliatory air strikes on Gaza have left hundreds dead in recent days.

Al-Maliki is invited to "present the views of the Palestinian Authority," Borrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The gathering is planned on the sidelines of a meeting of representatives of the Arab Gulf states and the EU in Oman. EU foreign ministers not present in Oman are expected to join by video.

EU ministers are expected to discuss the bloc's support for the Palestinians.

The European Commission announced on Monday that it will launch an "urgent review" of the EU's assistance to ensure that no funding reaches terrorist organizations like Hamas.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that the review would not suspend due payments, after another member of the commission had previously announced a suspension of development payments.

"The suspension of the payments - punishing all the Palestinian people - would have damaged the EU interests in the region and would have only further emboldened terrorists," he wrote on X.

The review does not concern humanitarian assistance, a commission press release said.

Photo: EPA