Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Israel “violating the norms of international humanitarian law” which will create a “catastrophe for many decades.”
Overnight the Israeli military entered into northern Gaza as they expanded their operations on the Iranian backed militant group Hamas.
Israeli fighter jets fired on 150 “underground targets in what has been described as an intense night of raids.
The civil defense service in Gaza said on Saturday the airstrikes destroyed hundreds of buildings overnight.
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Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense, “Hundreds of buildings and houses were completely destroyed and thousands of other homes were damaged.”
Bassal told AFP, that the Israeli airstrikes have “changed the landscape” of northern Gaza overnight.
The Russian Foreign Minister hit out at Israel in his strongest and most critical attack to date on Tel Aviv during an interview with the Belarusian state news agency Belta on Saturday.
Lavrov said, “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 said it is impossible for Israel to destroy Hamas without destroying the Gaza Strip along with most of its civilian population which has seen thousands killed in strikes.
Lavrov then warned, “If Gaza is destroyed and 2 million inhabitants are expelled, as some politicians in Israel and abroad propose, this will create a catastrophe for many decades, if not centuries.
“It is necessary to stop, and to announce humanitarian programmes to save the population under blockade.”
Lavrov said that Moscow continues to keep close contact with Israel and they are trying to find a “peaceful solution.”
Lavrov said, “We remain in full contact with Israel, and our ambassador is regularly in touch with them.
“We are sending signals about the need to seek a peaceful solution and not to follow through with this announced ‘scorched earth’ strategy.”
Hamas officials held talks on Friday in Moscow and views their request “more positively and attentively than the others, given the character of our relations with Russia” and said they “consider Russia to be a closest friend.”
The Hamas delegation had met with representatives of Russia’s foreign ministry, the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov told reporters, “We consider it necessary to continue our contacts with all parties and, of course, we will continue our dialogue with Israel.”
