Russian President Vladimir Putin has again spoken out regarding the war between Hamas and Israel. He said Israel took some of the “original Palestinian land” mainly through the “use of military force.”
He emphasized this when speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in Moscow, as reported by Anadolu , Friday (13/10/2023). Putin said the Palestinian issue was “in the hearts of every person who adheres to Islam and they consider it all as a manifestation of injustice, which reaches unthinkable levels.”
“The Palestinian issue is at the heart of every person in this region,” he stressed.
“Yes, I believe that in the hearts of every person who embraces Islam… Everything that is happening – not only now, but for decades – is considered a manifestation of Palestine. Injustice is rising to unthinkable levels,” he said.
He said his initial idea was to establish two independent sovereign states, Israel and Palestine. However, the decision emerged because in reality, this was only partially implemented.
“In addition, some of the land that Palestinians have always considered to be the original property of Palestine was taken over by Israel. At different times and in different ways, but in large part, of course,” Putin added.
Previously, war between Hamas and Israel broke out on Saturday. Hamas began a multi-pronged attack at around 6:30 a.m. local time with thousands of rockets aimed at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with some of them passing through the Iron Dome defense system and hitting buildings.
Gunfire continued into the evening between Israeli troops and hundreds of Hamas militias in at least 22 Israeli locations. The situation began to become chaotic because many civilians were involved in the firefight.
Hamas previously released images of several Israeli citizens being held hostage. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed that “soldiers and civilians were kidnapped”.
Hamas spokesman Khaled Qadomi told Al Jazeera that the group carried out its military operations in response to the atrocities Palestinians have faced for decades. Apart from that, Israel is also known to have carried out several attacks in the Al Aqsa Mosque area, which is a holy place for Muslims.
“We want the international community to stop the atrocities in Gaza against the Palestinian people, our holy places like Al-Aqsa. All these things are the reasons behind the start of this fighting,” he said.
Israel itself responded with air strikes. The country even implemented a blockade on food, water and fuel in Gaza, which prompted the UN and a number of institutions to warn Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, citing CNN International , Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Russian Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”. He called for the resumption of food and medicine deliveries to Gaza.
His statement was made in a telephone conversation with the Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, the Palestinian Fatah faction, Hussein al-Sheikh. Both sides called “indiscriminate bombing” that resulted in heavy civilian casualties “unacceptable.
“The emphasis is on preventing the exodus of the population from the Gaza Strip, which should be part of an independent Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem,” he said.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsened on Thursday amid warnings that its population was at risk of starvation. So far 338,000 people have been displaced.
Source : CNBC
