MILAN: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate on Wednesday, saying there have been “too many innocent victims” during the nearly two-year-old war.
Meloni, in a wide-ranging speech to a political conference in Rimini, on the Adriatic Sea coast, reiterated Italy’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
“However, at the same time, we cannot remain silent now, in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality,’’ she said, adding that the continued attacks were putting at risk “the historic prospect” of a two-state solution.
She cited the killing of five journalists in Gaza on Monday, which she said was “an unacceptable attack on freedom of the press and all those with the courage to risk their lives to recount the drama of war.”
The journalists, including a freelance photographer who worked for The Associated Press, were among 20 people killed in two strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
