Italy slams Netanyahu for killing ‘thousands of innocent Palestinians, risking damaging Israel'
CAIRO – 23 May 2025: Italy's Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto emphasized on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'is wrong in killing thousands of innocent Palestinians,' warning that such actions 'risk damaging Israel itself.'
'The fact that this war is leading to the killing of thousands of innocent people is creating the conditions for Hamas to find even more consensus,' reported Italy's news agency ANSA, quoting Crosetto as saying at the Trento Economics Festival.
The festival, taking place from 22 to 25 May in Italy's Trento, features the presence of representatives from top-notch European institutions as well as academics from around the world, business leaders, economists, and Nobel Prize winners.
'It is right for a friendly nation to say that Netanyahu is wrong, we must secure Palestine and give Palestine a future,' said Crosetto.
'I think it is right to tell Israel today that what is happening risks damaging Israel itself.'
Israel has intensified its operations in Gaza since last week, killing hundreds of Palestinians over the past days, as part of its war that has persisted since October 2023.
The war continues despite global condemnation, killing nearly 54,000 Palestinians predominantly women and children, according to the Gaza health authorities.
Israel has also blocked humanitarian aid from reaching the 2.2 million residents of Gaza since March 2, pushing the enclave toward famine and leaving one in five residents facing starvation, according to UN estimates.
Israel, who is facing unprecedented pressures from its closest allies over its handling of the war in Gaza, has pledged to resume a 'minimal' amount of humanitarian aid into the enclave after nearly three months of blockade#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/I41eHztROJ — Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) May 21, 2025
Over the recent days, several European leaders have condemned Israeli handling of the war, including its persistent blockade of aid. On Tuesday, the European Union announced reviewing the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which spans political and economic ties between the two sides.
The United Kingdom, France and Canada have called on the Israeli government to halt its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
In a joint statement, the three countries threatened 'concrete actions' against Israel in case of its failure to abide by the international humanitarian law.
As Israel escalated its military operations, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed the 34th Arab League summit held in Baghdad on Saturday, called for global pressure on Israel to 'halt the massacre in Gaza.'
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for a halt to the deadly military strikes in Gaza, stating on Saturday that 'we no longer want to see the Palestinian people suffer.'
Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris accused Israel of conducting 'genocidal activity' and 'a consistent pattern of war crimes,' stating that his country will consider a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.
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