MELONI: Israel is falling into Hamas’s “trap”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Expresses Support for Israel

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her support for Israel, insisting that the country was drawn into the war in Gaza by sudden attacks from the Palestinian militant group Hamas at the beginning of October.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday following the G7 summit in southern Italy, Meloni also called for the recognition of both Israel’s and Palestine’s rights to live in peace and security.

“It seems Israel is jumping into a trap. Because Hamas’s trap was to isolate it. It seems to be working,” Meloni said, urging those who support West Jerusalem “to give clear words for its security” and emphasizing that “this is what Italy is doing.”

Responding to a journalist’s question on why G7 leaders did not condemn the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the enclave, the Prime Minister said it must be remembered “who started all this” and that “it was not Israel, but someone who was killing civilians, women, and children.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began their operation in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 attack on villages in southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. The latest data from Gaza health authorities show that more than 37,200 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 85,000 injured since the military campaign began. Meloni also highlighted “the right of Palestinians to have their own state where they can live peacefully.”

“This is the only way to solve this problem; our job is dialogue with everyone,” she concluded.

The Israeli war with Hamas and the siege of Gaza have drawn international criticism in recent months, including threats of sanctions. Western Jerusalem has recently experienced a steady decline in Western support due to the increasing death toll and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly defended their right to neutralize Hamas in an effort to protect the nation from terrorism. Earlier on Sunday, the IDF announced a “tactical pause” in military activities along the route in southern Gaza to allow for the distribution of aid.

Italijanski premijer Giorgia Meloni izrazila je podršku Izraelu, insistirajući da je ta zemlja uvučena u rat u Gazi iznenadnim napadima palestinske militantne grupe Hamas početkom oktobra.

Govoreći u subotu na konferenciji za novinare nakon samita G7 u južnoj Italiji, Meloni je također pozvao na priznavanje prava i Izraela i Palestine da žive u miru i sigurnosti.

“Izgleda da Izrael skače u zamku. Jer zamka Hamasa je bila da ga izoluje. Čini se da funkcionira”, rekao je Meloni, pozivajući one koji podržavaju zapadni Jerusalim “da daju jasne riječi za njegovu sigurnost” i naglašavajući da “to je ono što Italija radi”.

Odgovarajući na novinarsko pitanje zašto čelnici G7 nisu osudili izraelsku ofanzivu na Gazu i nastavak humanitarne krize u enklavi, premijer je rekao da se mora sjetiti “ko je sve ovo započeo” i da “nije Izrael, ali neko ko je ubijao civile, žene i djecu.”

Izraelske odbrambene snage (IDF) započele su svoju operaciju u Gazi nakon napada Hamasa 7. oktobra na sela na jugu Izraela, u kojem je ubijeno oko 1.200 ljudi, a još 250 uzeto kao taoci. Najnoviji podaci zdravstvenih vlasti Gaze pokazuju da je više od 37.200 Palestinaca ubijeno, a skoro 85.000 je ranjeno od početka vojne kampanje. Meloni je također istakao “pravo Palestinaca da imaju svoju državu u kojoj će mirno živjeti”.

“To je jedini način da se riješimo ovog problema, naš posao je dijalog sa svima”, zaključila je ona.

Izraelski rat s Hamasom i opsada Gaze izazvali su posljednjih mjeseci međunarodne kritike, uključujući prijetnje sankcijama. Zapadni Jerusalem je nedavno doživio stalni pad zapadne podrške zbog sve većeg broja poginulih i produbljivanja humanitarne krize u enklavi.

Izraelske vlasti su u više navrata branile svoje pravo da neutraliziraju Hamas u nastojanju da zaštite naciju od terorizma. Ranije u nedjelju, IDF je najavio “taktičku pauzu” u vojnim aktivnostima duž rute u južnoj Gazi kako bi se omogućila distribucija pomoći.