Israel rejects UN General Assembly resolution and will destroy Hamas – statement

The Israeli authorities reject the UN General Assembly resolution calling for a truce and intend to destroy Hamas, said Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. His statement is quoted by RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, proposed by a number of Arab countries and calling for an immediate truce. 120 countries voted in support of the document, 14 were against, 45 abstained.

Cohen called the UNGA resolution “disgusting.”

“Israel intends to destroy Hamas in the same way that the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS (a terrorist group banned in Russia),” Cohen said.

It was previously reported that units of the Palestinian Hamas movement are repelling the advance of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) near Beit Hanoun in the northeast of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military announced an expansion of operations in the Gaza Strip.

The UNGA resolution condemns violence against civilians on both sides and calls for an immediate, reliable, sustainable humanitarian truce and a subsequent cessation of hostilities. The resolution also calls for the “immediate, unconditional release of civilians illegally held captive.”

On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. At the same time, organized groups of Hamas fighters began to penetrate into Israeli territory, who easily overcame the first line of defense of the Israeli army, took hostages and caused serious damage. Israel later launched Operation Iron Swords, attacking the Gaza Strip and cutting off all supplies of water, food, electricity, medicine and fuel.

At the moment, the number of deaths from Israeli army strikes in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 7,300, including 20 Russian citizens, and the number of wounded has exceeded 19,000. In addition, Hamas militants may be holding up to 150 Israelis hostage. More than 1.3 thousand people died in Israel.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop all hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a resolution to this crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, that is, the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.