The past year has multiplied human pain and suffering: the Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the situation in the Middle East a year after Hamas attacked Israel. The Ministry calls for an end to violence and the realization of the two-state solution.
The past year has multiplied human pain and suffering. The Hamas attack led to a war that is still claiming lives. This is stated in the Foreign Ministry's commentary on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, UNN reports.
"A year ago, on October 7, 2023, the world witnessed a horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, the indescribable suffering of women and men, young and old, who were taken hostage, and their families. Ukraine immediately condemned this shameful act of terror.
The past year has multiplied human pain and suffering. The Hamas attack led to a war that continues to claim lives. The number of destroyed lives, those killed, wounded, and driven from their homes by the war has already reached hundreds of thousands. This large-scale human tragedy is evidenced by the painful number of victims among Palestinian women and children, the large-scale humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the continued captivity of some Israeli hostages. Attacks on the territory of Palestine and Lebanon continue, and Israeli territory is being shelled," the statement reads.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that "all this requires an immediate, sufficient and fair response from the world, full provision of humanitarian needs of people, protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and cessation of attacks on civilians.
"Broader questions also need to be answered: when will peace come, what will the "first day after the war" look like, and what can prevent its recurrence.
For the sake of a stable, calm and peaceful Middle East, the world has long held out the prospect of two states for two peoples - Israel and Palestine. We are convinced that it is necessary to finally stop avoiding its realization.
There are already responsible leaders of states, political and public figures who are seriously considering how to restore normal life as soon as possible after the war and rebuild the social infrastructure and housing destroyed in Palestine, and create viable and effective civilian institutions. It is equally important to guarantee Israel's right to live in peace and security. We support such intentions and believe that they are as important as efforts to prevent the expansion of the ongoing war and the habituation to it," the statement reads.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that murder, abuse, sponsorship of terror and war should never become something "normal". And all efforts to ensure a just peace deserve respect.
