(Adnkronos) – To end Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, the costal enclave’s ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas needs to be neutralised and Israel’s wrath over its 7 October 2023 deadly cross-border terror attack must be calmed, according to Italy.
“The problem is that we have to achieve a result that no one has attained so far, not even the United States or the Palestinians,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday at an event in Rome on the future of Europe.
“That is managing to defuse Hamas terrorism and to assuage the wrath of the Israeli government after the 7th October attack.”
The first priority is to do everything possible help civilians, something which Italy has continued to attempt, getting humanitarian aid to Gaza though “incredible” diplomatic efforts”, Tajani said.
“We have done so much for the Palestinian people, we continue to do so much”, said Tajani.
Italy was the only country able to send an operational convoy into Gaza through the United Nations, Tajani noted.
Tajani referred to the ‘Food for Gaza’ scheme being delivered by the UN World Food Programme, in coordination with the Italian government, the UN Food and Agriculture Programme, the Red Cross and Red Crescent and Italy’s civil protection agency.
“It hasn’t just been a civil protection operation but also a political operation, because getting those Italian trucks in involved an incredible job by our diplomats,” Tajani underlined.
A total 15 trucks funded by the ‘Food for Gaza’ scheme entered the coastal enclave since Israel last week caved into pressure from allies in the US and said it would allow a “basic” amount of food in to avert a famine, according to a foreign ministry statement on Tuesday.
Israel had imposed a total blockade of humanitarian aid for Gaza in early March, causing sever hunger in the war-shattered territory and warnings by experts of a looming famine.
