Italian FM urges Israel to halt attacks on Gaza
ROME, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Wednesday called for an immediate halt to Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza, condemning the attacks as "unacceptable."
During a briefing to the lower house of Parliament on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Tajani stated: "These innocent deaths wound our values and outrage our consciences." He acknowledged Israel's right to respond to terrorism but criticized the scale and impact of its military actions: "The legitimate reaction of the Israeli government to a terrible, senseless act of terrorism is taking on dramatic, absolutely unacceptable forms."
Tajani stressed the need to uphold international humanitarian law, urging an immediate end to the bombing and the swift resumption of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
He also firmly rejected the idea of displacing Palestinians from the territory. "The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is not and will never be an acceptable option," he declared.
"The only viable path to peace, and the inalienable goal, remains the launch of a political process leading to two states coexisting in peace and security," he noted.
Before concluding his remarks, Tajani requested a minute of silence in memory of the innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives in the conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Israel blames media after antisemitic attack on Jewish demonstrators in US
JERUSALEM: Israel's top diplomat condemned Monday a weekend attack on demonstrators in the United States demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza, alleging it was fuelled by the media. "Shocked by the terrible antisemitic terror attack targeting Jews in Boulder, Colorado," Gideon Saar wrote on X. "This is pure Antisemitism, fueled by the blood libels spread in the media," he added, without elaborating. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped US authorities would prosecute "the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law." "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The loaded term "blood libel" refers to the antisemitic accusation that Jews used the blood of Christians in religious rituals from the Middle Ages up until the 20th century. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also denounced Sunday's attack in Colorado. "We are all horrified by the violent terror attack in Colorado against peaceful protesters who were simply calling for the release of our hostage," he wrote on X. Several people suffered burns and other injuries Sunday in what the FBI called a "targeted terror attack" against the demonstrators seeking the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's Oct 7, 2023 attack that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, 57 remain in captivity, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Greta Thunberg aboard Gaza-bound aid ship despite drone strike
CATANIA: International nonprofit organisation Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said one of its vessels left the Italian port of Catania on Sunday, heading for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, after a previous attempt failed due to a drone attack on a separate ship in the Mediterranean. The crew of volunteers, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, set sail on the Madleen, carrying barrels of what the group called "limited amounts, though symbolic", of relief supplies. Another vessel operated by the group, the Conscience, was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in early May. FFC said Israel was to blame for the incident. Israel has not responded to requests for comment. "We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity," Thunberg told reporters at a conference before the departure. She added that "no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised". FFC said the trip "is not charity. This is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege and escalating war crimes". The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began 19 months ago, the United Nations said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave. Under growing global pressure, Israel ended an 11-week blockade on Gaza, allowing limited UN-led operations to resume. On Monday, a new avenue for aid distribution was also launched - the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - backed by the United States and Israel, but with which the UN and international aid groups have refused to work, saying it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. - Reuters
Malaysiakini
7 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
Hamas ready for new round of indirect Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel
Hamas said on Sunday evening that it is ready to immediately enter a new round of indirect negotiations with Israel to resolve outstanding points of contention, to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reach a permanent ceasefire, Anadolu Ajansi reported. The announcement followed the group's Saturday delivery of its response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Both the envoy and the Israeli government later rejected the response outright. 'We welcome the continued...
