There will be a summit between EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, overshadowed by Hamas’s war against Israel and EU’s failure to show unity.

There have been mixed messages, diplomatic gaffes, and conflicting national views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict clouding the European Union’s stance on the war for weeks.

EU leaders aim to project a united front after days of disagreement.

An appeal for humanitarian pauses in the fighting is expected to be backed by them.

According to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, and the leaders are keen to facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel, and shelter for the Gazan people.

It is hoped that this will create safer conditions for the release of more than 200 hostages seized by Hamas gunmen during their October 7 attack. There are many European dual nationals being held captive, including German, French, Portuguese, and Dutch citizens.

There are sharp differences in views among EU member states, which makes for a very confusing picture.

Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks, so Germany and other countries oppose the idea of a single humanitarian pause, since it would be too close to a ceasefire.

“A pause means both actors stop for good, whereas a pause is temporary.

There have been several European leaders on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been in communication with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Karl Nehammer, the Austrian Chancellor, and Petr Fiala, the Czech Prime Minister, visited Israel on Wednesday.