BRUSSELS: Israel’s military is showing “an appalling lack of distinction” in its targeting in Gaza, the EU’s top diplomat said Monday, highlighting the deaths of Israeli hostages, worshippers and other Palestinian civilians.

“We are witnessing an appalling lack of distinction in Israel’s military operation in Gaza,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on social media.

“Worshippers, three Israeli hostages, and hundreds of other civilians have died during the most recent military operations,” he said.

“This must stop. A humanitarian pause is urgently needed.”

Israel intentionally starving civilians in Gaza: HRW

The criticism followed Israel’s admission that its forces had on Friday mistakenly shot dead three hostages who had escaped their captors inside Gaza.

On Saturday, a Palestinian Christian mother and daughter were shot dead “in cold blood” by an Israeli soldier on the grounds of Gaza’s only Catholic church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.

Pope Francis on Sunday deplored the women’s killing, saying it happened in a church complex “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities”.

Israel’s military said it was looking into that incident.

More than 18,800 Palestinians – around 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents – have been killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli bombardments since October 7, according to the Hamas government’s health ministry.

Israeli launched a relentless military operation in Gaza Hamas conducted an attack in Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, and took an estimated 240 hostage, according to Israeli figures.

The EU’s 27 nations are divided over how Israel is carrying out its military operations in Gaza.

Most back a call for a ceasefire endorsed by the overwhelming majority of the United Nations General Assembly.

But some believe that such a move would bind Israel’s hands as it seeks to achieve its stated objective of eliminating Hamas.

“Far too many civilians have been killed in Gaza, as pointed out among others also by the French, German and UK foreign ministers,” Borrell said in his post.