Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, branding it a violation of international law and warning of the potential for a protracted humanitarian catastrophe.
Lavrov’s comments mark a significant departure from Moscow’s previous stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In an interview with the Belarusian state news agency Belta, Lavrov expressed his concerns about Israel’s relentless war on Gaza.
The interview, one of the most critical of Israel’s actions by Moscow to date, was made public on Saturday.
He said: “While we condemn terrorism, we categorically disagree that you can respond to terrorism by violating the norms of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminately using force against targets where civilians are known to be present, including hostages that have been taken.”
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Israel has declared its intention to target Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organisation.
Lavrov, however, stressed the dire consequences of such a military approach claiming it is impossible to destroy Hamas – as Israel has pledged to do – without destroying Gaza along with most of its civilian population.
He further cautioned that if Gaza were to be destroyed and its two million inhabitants expelled, as some politicians in Israel and abroad have proposed, it would result in a catastrophe lasting for many decades, if not centuries.
The Russian official called for an immediate halt to the military operations and urged the international community to launch humanitarian programmes aimed at aiding the population living under blockade in Gaza.
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It comes as Hamas is reportedly in the process of locating and freeing hostages, including eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens, who were taken during its recent attack on Israel three weeks ago.
Russian news agencies have reported the development, citing a Hamas member. Russia has provided Hamas with a list of names and requested the release of the Russian-Israeli dual citizens.
Senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzook expressed the organisation’s commitment to resolving the situation, saying: “We are very attentive to this list and we will handle it carefully because we look at Russia as our closest friend.
“Now, we are looking for those people. It’s difficult, but we are looking. And as soon as we find them, we will release them. Despite the difficulties due to the current situation.”
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