Russia says Israeli attack on consulate

The Russian government condemned Israel’s bombings against an Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, as “unacceptable” and called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (SC) for this Tuesday afternoon (2) .

“We strongly condemn this attack on the Iranian consular office in Syria. We consider categorically unacceptable any attacks on diplomatic and consular facilities, the inviolability of which is guaranteed.”

The Russian statement also highlighted that the attack was in a densely populated area. The meeting requested by Russia will be public – not behind closed doors – and is scheduled for 4 pm (Brasília time).

The attack killed at least 11 people, including three Syrians and a Lebanese. Among the dead was one of Iran’s top military commanders, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, from the country’s Revolutionary Guards.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said the attack “will not go unanswered” and that his country has the right to fight back. The meeting called by Russia responded to Raisi’s request for the CS to condemn Israel.

At the same time that it seems to want to expand the conflict in Gaza to other countries in the region, accumulating criticism, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also experiencing increasing internal pressure. Thousands of Israelis participated in protests in Jerusalem demanding his resignation for failing to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

Gaza

Also on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that Israeli negotiators had finalized a new proposal for a truce and exchange of hostages. Negotiations took place in Cairo, with mediators.

“As part of the negotiations, with the useful mediation of Egypt, the mediators formulated an updated proposal to be addressed by Hamas,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, saying it hoped the mediators would pressure the Palestinian group to accept it.

So far, Hamas has stood firm on its main demands: full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. But Netanyahu described the demands as “absurd.”

Bombarded help

A ship from Cyprus carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza was bombed by Israel on Tuesday, killing seven of its crew.

Cyprus Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said the ship managed to deliver 90 tons of aid before the attack. Another 240 tons were not delivered and returned to the country.

The NGO responsible for the aid, World Central Kitchensaid it will suspend its operations in Gaza and review security protocols following the attack.

Cyprus has opened one of the main corridors for sending maritime aid to Gaza, through the Cypriot port of Larnaca.

Context

The current Israeli massacre in the Gaza Strip — or military operation, as Israel calls it — began in October last year, but conditions in the Palestinian territory were already considered “suffocating” by the UN before that.

The 17-year Israeli blockade — to force Hamas, the party that won the Palestinian elections in 2006, to give up power — generated unemployment rates of 45% and food insecurity that affected 64% of the population. The UN estimated that more than 80% of Gaza residents depended on foreign aid to survive.

On October 7, members of Hamas entered Israel and carried out the most violent attack ever suffered by the country, leaving around 1,200 dead and capturing 240 hostages. The Netanyahu government’s response was considered disproportionate by the international community. Daily bombings in what is considered one of the most densely populated territories in the world have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed the entire infrastructure of Gaza.

The number of fatalities exceeded 32 thousand Palestinians — around 70% women and children —, with more than 8 thousand people missing under the rubble. 35% of the buildings were destroyed and practically all of the more than two million inhabitants were forced to leave their homes.

In the other occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank, illegal violence carried out by Israeli settlers is daily, with more than 500 deaths. Since the start of the conflict, thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and the government has announced that thousands more will be detained this year.

The UN warns of a humanitarian disaster, accusing Israel of using collective hunger as a weapon of war and highlighting the real possibility that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will die due to lack of food.

Editing: Nicolau Soares