Call for freeing the hostages in Gaza
Romania joins the international community in supporting Israel's efforts to get the Hamas hostages freed
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Leyla Cheamil, 15.12.2023, 13:50
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a major concern for the international community, which is seeking solutions to restore peace.
The UN General Assembly has recently called for immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, under a resolution endorsed with 153 votes. The resolution also pleads for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas following the brutal attack of October 7, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, died, according to Tel-Aviv.
Israels permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, made it quite clear that the Israeli military operations in Gaza would only stop after hostages have been freed and Hamas has been dismantled.
On the day of the attack, around 240 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Of these, some 135 are still in the hands of Hamas and affiliated groups, the Israeli army says, after 105 people were released during a 7-day ceasefire that ended on December 1.
Romania joins the international community in supporting Israels efforts to get the Hamas hostages freed, PM Marcel Ciolacu said after a meeting in Bucharest on Thursday with the Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel and the families of Romanian-born Israeli citizens held captive in Gaza.
In the same context, the Romanian head of government reiterated that „de-escalation is a viable solution to restore security in the region.” Ciolacu once again highlighted that the Romanian government was firmly condemning the practice of hostage taking and terrorism in all its forms.
Marcel Ciolacu also spoke about the death of Tal Haimi, a Romanian and Israeli citizen kidnapped by Hamas, and mentioned that he was just one of the victims of the „terrible attack launched by the terror group against the State of Israel.”
In turn, the interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the Israeli delegation headed by his counterpart, Moshe Arbel. During the talks, the participants highlighted the need to carry on jointly the efforts to get all the remaining hostages freed and safe, regardless of the difficulty and the complexity of the process. Minister Predoiu also conveyed a message of solidarity to the families attending the meeting, and reiterated Romanias support for all the efforts that can be made to help release all the hostages.
On the same occasion, the interior ministry said once again that Romania supported stepped-up efforts for a permanent ceasefire and for identifying diplomatic solutions for the Peace Process to be resumed. Bucharest also pleads for strict compliance with international law and international humanitarian law. (AMP)
