European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell claimed on Friday that Israel funded the creation of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority.

Borrell stated in a speech at Valladolid University that "the government of Israel funded Hamas in an attempt to weaken the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied accusations by his opponents in Israel and some international media that his government had spent years actively strengthening Hamas in Gaza.

Earlier, Borrell stressed that the military solution in the Gaza Strip would not be sufficient if it did not lead to a political project.

He explained in an article published by the French newspaper Le Monde that there are now three priorities: preventing the conflict from spreading to Lebanon at all costs, liberating the hostages, and paving the way for resolving the crisis.

Last December, the European Union's foreign policy official denounced the "gross lack of ability to discriminate", which is reflected in the Israeli army's operations in Gaza, which lead to the killing of Palestinian prisoners, worshipers and civilians.