EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he wants to see all EU countries make a joint appeal to the Israeli government not to launch a full-scale ground offensive into Rafah.

Borrell, speaking on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, said he hoped the 27 EU members could find unanimity on the subject and “formally” urge Israel not to invade the southern Gaza city.

More than 1 million Palestinians currently live in Rafah, which has been turned into a sprawling tent city on the border with Egypt. Most of them are refugees displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

Many of Israel’s allies, including the US, Britain and Germany, have expressed fears that a ground invasion could dramatically worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the area.