SOCHI, Russia — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that Israel intends to eliminate the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
“Israel had been attacked by brutal and abhorrent murderers, had gone to war determined and united, and would not stop until it had destroyed Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” said the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It was the first phone call between the two leaders since the start of Israel’s “Operation Swords of Iron” against Hamas, which was launched after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that claimed over 1,400 lives and left more than 4,100 people wounded. The terrorists took at least 199 hostages back with them to Gaza.
For his part, Putin expressed his sympathy with Israeli families and friends of those killed in the terror rampage, emphasizing his strong rejection and condemnation of any actions that victimize the civilian population, according to a statement from Moscow.
“Russia would take to help calm the spirits, prevent further escalation and a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip,” said Putin. He informed Netanyahu of the talks he had with the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Iran and Syria,” according to the statement.
A Russian-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war was rejected, as it failed to mention Hamas at all.
The United States, United Kingdom, France and Japan voted it down, with six other countries in the 15-member body abstaining. Five member states, including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Gabon and Mozambique, voted in favor.
Security Council resolutions need a minimum of nine yes votes and no vetoes by the five permanent members to pass.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield slammed Russia for failing to mention Hamas in the draft resolution.
“By failing to condemn Hamas, Russia is giving cover to a terrorist group that brutalizes innocent civilians. It is outrageous, it is hypocritical, and it is indefensible,” she said in a UNSC speech explaining why the United States had rejected the resolution.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
