"While supporting the Cyprus maritime corridor, we call on Israel to open additional crossings so more aid can reach Gaza, including the North, and to ease overall customs restrictions", EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said on social media platform X.

The statement came after Lenarcic virtually met with Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Minister David Cameron, AEU Foreign Affairs Minister Abdulrahman Al Thani and U.N. Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

(This story has been corrected to fix the name of the UAE foreign affairs minister and to add the word 'Qatari' in paragraph 3)

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout)