EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the Middle East stood on the “verge of a complete conflagration”, on the first anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, AFP reports.

“One year after the terrible attack against Israel, the situation is only getting worse. The people in the region are more insecure than ever and are caught in an unending cycle of violence, hatred, and revenge,” Borrell said in a statement.

“The whole Middle East is on the verge of a complete conflagration that the international community looks unable to control.”

Borrell reiterated the EU’s call for an “immediate ceasefire on all fronts” and said it was the only way to achieve the release of Israelis taken hostage on October 7.

“The horrifying terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas and other terrorists on 7 October 2023 have had an impact in the region, the European Union, and the entire world,” he said.

“The past year has also seen the horrible suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and later in the West Bank too.”