Turin, 1 August (LaPresse) – "Israel has no “intention to kill indiscriminately”. This was written by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a long post on X following statements made by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Gaza. “I have great respect for the President of Italy, my friend Sergio Mattarella. Precisely for this reason, I was saddened by some aspects of his recent statements on the situation in Gaza, and I felt the need to clarify the facts,” Herzog explained. 'He was right to say that Israel was brutally attacked on 7 October. Among the hundreds of innocent people taken hostage by Hamas on that dark day, 50 are still in captivity, held in inhumane conditions in Hamas tunnels. Their intolerable suffering, the anguish of their families, as well as the suffering of the civilians in Gaza — which we do not wish for — could end today if all the hostages were released. Israel has accepted numerous third-party ceasefire proposals. Hamas has repeatedly rejected these agreements and refused to release the hostages,‘ he added. ’Israel has no “intention to kill indiscriminately”. We just want to live in peace and security.‘
’Yes, mistakes are made in war, and we are not indifferent to the pain of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We are making every effort to improve the situation. We are acting in accordance with international law under almost impossible conditions. Unlike our enemy, who openly and proudly violates human rights conventions and laws,‘ Herzog continues. ’As has been announced, Israel has launched a major humanitarian effort, which we intend to expand further together with our partners, including Italy. Our friends must maintain moral clarity: Hamas started this war, Hamas is holding the hostages, Hamas is responsible for the suffering on both sides, and international pressure must be directed against them," the post continued. ‘I reiterate: there is only one key to ending this tragedy, and that is the release of the hostages held in Gaza. If Hamas truly wanted a better future for the people of Gaza, it would release them immediately,’ he concludes.