European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday: “Hamas is more than a terrorist organization. It is an idea, and an idea can only be eliminated when there is an alternative that gives the Palestinians a clear horizon”.
During his participation in the Union for the Mediterranean Forum held in Barcelona, Borrell added: “The four-day truce is an important first step towards resolving the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but more needs to be done to find a way out of the conflict. crisis.”
He continued: “The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be justified, but any aggression cannot justify another aggression either.”
He stressed that “Israel has the right to defend itself, but how it defends itself is important,” stressing that what settlers are doing against Palestinians in the West Bank is “unacceptable.”
He stressed that “Hamas must not return to Gaza again as a military and political force, and Israel must not control Gaza.”
For his part, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez stated in the same forum that the Palestinian Authority is the only possible and reliable partner in the search for peace in the Middle East.
In turn, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said from Barcelona that “Israel must realize that it will not be able to forcibly displace the residents of the Gaza Strip again.”
Al-Safadi stressed that “only permanent peace will achieve stability,” stressing that the work towards a two-state solution must begin by putting an end to “this brutal aggression,” as he put it.
War broke out between Israel and Hamas after a surprise attack launched by the movement on military sites and residential areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip, which led to the killing of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children , and 239 people were abducted, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel responded with intense air, sea and land bombardment on the besieged Gaza Strip, followed by a ground operation, which was halted with the start of the truce on Friday. The death toll in Gaza has reached 14,854 people, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000. women, in addition to the wounding of around 36,000 people, while the number of deaths reached 14,854. The missing: almost 7,000 are missing, according to Hamas authorities.
A temporary four-day truce began Friday, during which Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of those kidnapped by Hamas in Gaza. Three exchanges were successfully completed.