Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar met on Thursday with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani. After their meeting, the two delivered a joint press conference.
"Mr Deputy Prime Minister - Israel and Italy are pillars of stability and strength: Italy is a leader in Europe and on the international stage. Israel is a powerhouse in the dangerous and unstable Middle East," Sa'ar told his Italian counterpart.
He continued: "After Hamas committed the October 7th massacre, Israel set three objectives: (1) Dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. (2) Securing the release of all of our hostages. (3) And removing the threat from Gaza to our citizens.
"War is not an aim in itself. But we will not compromise on our objectives. Hamas’ leaders have repeatedly declared their intent to carry out more October 7th-style attacks against Israel. They are committed to their idea of eliminating the Jewish State. Israel will not accept Hamas rule in Gaza. As long as Hamas is in power, there will be no peace, no security, and no stability in this region.
Sa'ar added: "Israel is committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in accordance with international law and the framework for the release of the hostages. And everyone can see that we are fulfilling our commitments according to the framework. But I want to emphasize something: UNRWA is not part of the solution in Gaza. UNRWA is part of the problem! UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 massacre. UNRWA facilities are used for Hamas terror operations. UNRWA leadership did nothing to uproot the terror activities in its organization. Israeli-British hostage Emily Damari was held in UNRWA facilities! This is unbelievable.
"While some have called for Israel to help UNRWA, they misunderstand the Israeli people. The law banning UNRWA in Israel was passed in the Israeli Knesset, by coalition and opposition alike. After October 7th there is a wide consensus in Israel - terrorism will not be tolerated anymore!" he declared.
The Israeli Minister stressed: "Israel abides by international law. The humanitarian flow is still coming in. So let us be honest - humanitarian aid does not equal UNRWA. Those who wish to support the humanitarian aid effort in the Gaza Strip should invest their resources in organizations alternative to UNRWA."
"So I would like to thank you, Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, for the leadership and initiative shown by you and Prime Minister Meloni. For coming here to empower your project Food for Gaza."
Hinting at US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of the Gaza Strip, Sa'ar stated: "Israel and Italy are close allies of the US. Our governments are close with President Trump and his administration. Today, it is important to listen carefully to new ideas that have been proposed and to think outside the box. Gaza is a failed experiment. It failed under Egyptian sovereignty. It failed when handed to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords. Ever since we saw terrorism rise. It has certainly failed under Hamas. Gaza, in its current state, has no future. We must try to find a different solution. We must take a new approach. We have an opportunity today to try to build a better future for ourselves and for the entire Middle East."