ROME: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Tuesday strongly criticized Israel’s assault on Gaza, labeling the response as “disproportionate” and expressing concern over the large number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Speaking in an interview on RAI radio, Tajani, whose country holds the rotating G7 presidency this year, condemned the Hamas attacks on October 7. While acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself, he emphasized that the current Israeli action against the Palestinian civilian population has resulted in “too many victims who have nothing to do with the Palestinian resistance group.”
Tajani distanced himself from recent comments made by Francesca Albanese, the Italian United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, who denied the attacks were “anti-Semitic.” Israel’s reaction to Albanese’s remarks led to her being denied entry to the country.
Civilian Casualties in Israel’s Bombardment in Gaza
Expressing disagreement with Albanese’s statement, Tajani stressed that the initial attack on October 7 was not a military action but rather an attack. While rejecting assertions of genocide in Gaza, Tajani warned that Israel’s response following the October 7 attack has led to an unacceptable number of civilian casualties.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has resulted in a significant death toll, with at least 28,473 people killed, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.