A senior European Union official publicly criticized Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz for disrupting a crucial meeting aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by offering "irrelevant" infrastructure, according to The Daily Beast.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign affairs coordinator and one of the bloc's top officials, told reporters on Monday  that “Katz walked into the meeting with a proposal to build an artificial island off the coast of Gaza — clearly revealing his view that the high-stakes summit was neither the time nor the place to showcase  the "unrealistic infrastructure”

The senior EU official said in remarks on Monday: “We had the pleasure of watching two very interesting videos; this had little to do with what we were discussing. I think Minister (Katz) could have used his time better to worry about his country’s security and the rise of the death toll in the Middle East and the high death toll in Gaza.

According to Borrell, the presentation included two videos: one promoting the plan to create the artificial island — which is supposed to serve as a commercial center — and another initiative focusing on the railway infrastructure project connecting Gaza to the West Bank. The official said that both matters had absolutely nothing to do with the purpose of the meeting.

Katz, who took over as Israeli foreign minister earlier this month, had previously marketed the artificial island project in his previous position as transportation minister in 2017. His attempt to revive the concept appeared to have failed on Monday, according to a European diplomatic source who told Euronews that other EU ministers present at the meeting were “puzzled” by his suggestion. In turn, The Guardian newspaper quoted another source as saying: “The ministers ignored the matter and went ahead with what they were there to talk about. No one dealt with it.”

Previous reports suggested the proposal may be part of a broader plan to move Palestinians to the island, with an Israeli official saying the initiative could include housing for Gazans, according to The New York Times. A Guardian newspaper report also quoted sources who claimed that Katz suggested transferring Palestinians to the island, which raised concern. The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report, telling The Times of Israel that “there is no such plan.”

The summit came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial statements rejecting the concept of a Palestinian state, and doubling down on his intentions to continue the war.

But that did not prevent Borrell from clarifying the European Union's position on this issue:

“All member states have told [Katz], of course, that they believe that the solution to a comprehensive and lasting peace that guarantees Israel’s security comes through the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said, adding, of course, “We will not do that and we will not accept anything less than a ceasefire.”