Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is outraged by Israel’s policy of limiting humanitarian deliveries to Gaza. He made these comments in an interview with Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper.
“Dozens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of war in Gaza, while the number of civilian casualties has long surpassed one hundred thousand. This is several times more than the civilian losses in Ukraine over the same period,” Lavrov said. “We are particularly concerned and outraged by Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian supplies, which have led to mass hunger in the Palestinian enclave. We are equally alarmed by Israel’s efforts to clear Palestinians from the West Bank.”
Lavrov stressed the urgent need to prevent the total destruction of Gaza and stop the killing of civilians. “There must be an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages and detainees, and safe humanitarian access to all who need aid,” he said.
He noted that the root cause of the ongoing crisis is the failure to implement international decisions regarding the creation of an independent Palestinian state that could exist peacefully and securely alongside Israel. “We continue to believe that fulfilling the Palestinian people’s legitimate aspirations—their right to determine their own destiny—is essential for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Lavrov emphasized. “And indeed, without this, it is hard to imagine how Israel’s security could be guaranteed long-term, which is genuinely in Russia’s and other responsible states’ interest.”
Lavrov recalled that, with this outlook in mind, Russia actively participated in the High-Level International Conference on the Middle East held in New York from July 28 to 30. “Work in this format will continue during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session in the second half of September. Together with our like-minded partners, we will seek de-escalation with the aim of restarting negotiations to solve the Palestinian issue. In this respect, we look forward to continued close cooperation with Indonesia,” he concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Marius Arnesen/Creative Commons 3.0
Based on materials from TASS