Russia says Israel's Gaza bombardment is against international law
Russia’s foreign minister said that Israel’s retaliation against Hamas terrorists in Gaza is against international law, and will lead to a crisis that will last decades, Reuters reports.
Sergei Lavrov made his comments — the Kremlin’s most critical of Israel so far — in an interview with Belarus’s state news agency Belta reported Saturday.
“While we condemn terrorism, we categorically disagree that you can respond to terrorism by violating the norms of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminately using force against targets where civilians are known to be present, including hostages that have been taken,” Lavrov told the news agency.
“If Gaza is destroyed and two million inhabitants are expelled, as some politicians in Israel and abroad propose, this will create a catastrophe for many decades, if not centuries,” he added.
“It is necessary to stop, and to announce humanitarian programs to save the population under blockade.”
Russia has called for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
