ROME, Oct 30 War between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas will be long and will inevitably lead to dramatic consequences for the civilian population, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview with the newspaper la Stampa.
«Let the Europeans have no illusions, the war, unfortunately, will be long… Israel is doing what it has promised to do for several days. They will move forward. Let's see what the political consequences may be,» he said.
“Unfortunately, it is clear that there are and will be civilian consequences, even dramatic ones… The Israelis have taken into account the fact that they will have to pay a very high human and media price,” Crosetto added.
According to the Italian Defense Minister, Hamas's goal is «the complete destruction, by any means, of Israel and all Jews.» Commenting on the statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said that Hamas is fighting for the liberation of the Palestinian people, Crosetto said that he intends to visit Ankara in the near future to “personally understand” the Turkish position.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took hostages. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.4 thousand people were killed, including 300 military personnel, and more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip, according to the local Ministry of Health, exceeded 8 thousand people, half of whom were children, over 18 thousand were injured. As the conflict escalates, at least 20 Russians have died, three are believed to be held hostage, and several more remain missing. According to various sources, more than 200 Israelis are being held captive by Hamas.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.