The Portuguese Foreign Minister spoke on Thursday with his Palestinian counterpart, with whom he agreed on the “need to stop the escalation of violence and invest in political-diplomatic action”.
During a telephone conversation, João Gomes Cravinho and the head of Palestinian diplomacy, Riyad al-Maliki, “Situation in the region and future prospects after the recent [reuniões] ministerial [da] HUH [União Europeia] It is [da] Arab League”according to a publication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
“Convergence on the need to stop the escalation of violence and invest in political-diplomatic action”adds the MNE publication.
MNE @JoaoCravinho spoke to the Palestinian counterpart @pmofa. Dialogue on the situation in the region and future prospects following the recent ministerial meetings of the EU and the Arab League. Convergence on the need to stop the escalation of violence and invest in political-diplomatic action. pic.twitter.com/KoWvDit75m
– PT Foreign Affairs (@nestrangeiro_pt) October 12, 2023
The Portuguese minister also spoke on Wednesday with his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi “about the situation in Israel and the region”.
“Good prospects for strengthening relations” between Portugal and Oman, according to Palácio das Necessidades.
The head of Portuguese diplomacy, João Gomes Cravinho, had already contacted his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, on Tuesday, asking him to protect the lives of civilians in the conflict with Hamas, condemning the attack by the Islamist movement.
“In the telephone conversation with Minister Eli Cohen, I emphasized the friendship between Portugal and Israel and the collective sadness of our society in the face of Hamas’ despicable attacks.”wrote the Portuguese Foreign Minister on the social network X.
The MNE @JoaoCravinho spoke to his Israeli counterpart this morning @elicoh1, to express solidarity and condolences to those killed in Hamas’s terrorist attacks. They also discussed the prospects for the future and the need to safeguard the lives of citizens as much as possible. pic.twitter.com/ZgdtcFfRXh
– PT Foreign Affairs (@nestrangeiro_pt) October 10, 2023
In the conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Cravinho expressed solidarity with the attack carried out by the Islamist group Hamas on Saturday and expressed his condolences for the fatalities.
The conversation discussed “the prospects for the future and the need to safeguard the lives of civilians as much as possible” in the war Israel had declared against the Islamist group.
Hours earlier, Cravinho had spoken by telephone with his counterparts in Egypt and Jordan about the situation in Israel and the Middle East, according to the ministry.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, dubbed Operation ‘Storm al-Aqsa’, with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response to the surprise attack, Israel bombed several Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip from the air, in an operation dubbed “Iron Swords”.
Israel declared all-out war and vowed to punish Hamas like never before, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring he was “at war” with the Palestinian group.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as a ‘terrorist group’ by the European Union (EU), the United States and Israel.
Official data on fatalities from the conflict provoked by the Islamist group on Saturday points to 1,300 dead in Israel and 1,354 in the Gaza Strip, official sources from both sides said today.
In addition to the 1,300 deaths in Israel, 3,268 people were hospitalized, of whom 28 were in critical condition, 348 in serious condition and 581 in moderate condition, according to the latest data from the Israeli Ministry of Health.
On the Gaza side, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, in addition to the deaths of 1,354 people, including many civilians, there were 6,049 injuries in several states, as well as 31 deaths in the West Bank, where some 180 were also injured. counted.
Source: DN
