Russia's Lavrov calls for end to Gaza violence

WASHINGTON

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the need to “end violence” in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is essential as the death toll has become “horrifying.”

"The end of violence in Gaza and the West Bank may enable not only a search for a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also help to deal with other hotbeds of tension in the vast region of the Near East and the Middle East," Lavrov said at a U.N. Security Council debate in Washington on July 17.

Lavrov condemned the Hamas onslaught on Oct. 7 last year in Israel's south, maintaining the Kremlin has consistently done so since the raid occurred.

But he said Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has crossed the line and is now a form of "collective punishment" as the death toll in the besieged coastal enclave nears 40,000.

"When it comes to collective punishment in violation of international humanitarian law, one cannot fight against one form of violation through other violations. It's the same principle here," he said in response to a reporter's question.

More than nine months into Israel's onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins with nearly all of its population in a state of internal displacement amid a crippling blockade on food, clean water and medicine.

The official death toll has surpassed 38,800, with over 89,100 people injured, according to local health authorities. Fears have mounted that the true death toll could be significantly higher.

The top Russian diplomat also criticized the Security Council and said its resolutions on the Gaza Strip have failed to stop the bloodshed in the Palestinian territories.

"Four resolutions have been adopted. However, the ongoing bloodshed in the occupied Palestinian territories only reaffirms that all of these decisions have remained ink on paper," he said.

Lavrov noted that "a frank and honest conversation is needed" to immediately stop the suffering of civilians.

"The large-scale military operation which Israel has conducted, together with its American ally, has resulted in horrifying statistics in terms of casualties and destruction in 300 days in 10 months," he stated.

Flouting a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued offensive on Gaza since an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right national security minister visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on July 18, threatening to disrupt Gaza ceasefire talks.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said he had gone up to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray for the return of the hostages "but without a reckless deal, without surrendering.”

The move threatens to disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the nine-month-old Israel-Hamas war. Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on July 17 to continue talks.

Ben-Gvir said while standing in front of the golden dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque that he “is praying and working hard" to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not give in to international pressure and will continue with the military campaign in Gaza.

Ben-Gvir last visited the site in May to protest countries unilaterally recognizing Palestinian statehood.

He has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.