The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, urged Israel “not to be consumed by hatred” in the war waged since October 7 against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
‘I understand your fears and your pain. I understand your anger. But let me ask you not to let your hatred consume you,’ the diplomat declared during a visit to a ‘kibbutz’ in southern Israel devastated by the October 7 attacks.
Borrell also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of the people held hostage that day.
The war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the October 7 attack by the Palestinian movement, the first of its kind since Israel’s founding.
On the Israeli side, about 1,200 people were killed that day, mostly civilians, and about 240 people were taken hostage, according to authorities.
In retaliation, Israel has ruthlessly bombed the Gaza Strip, which is under complete siege. According to the Hamas government, Israeli bombings have killed more than 11,500 people, mostly civilians, including 4,710 children.
Speaking at Kibbutz Beeri, where at least 85 people were killed and about three dozen taken hostage on the day of the attack, Borrell declared that Israel “must be defended” but added that “one horror does not justify another.”
“Many innocent civilians, including thousands of innocent women and children, have died in recent weeks,” Borrell said.
The dramatic humanitarian situation of the people of the Gaza Strip involved in the fighting is causing concern within the international community.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for “comprehensive and urgent humanitarian pauses and corridors” to allow the delivery of aid to civilians on Palestinian territory.
Source: DN
