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Condemning the joint statement issued by five countries -- US, UK Germany, France and Italy over the deadly attack on Israel, Hamas termed the reaction as "double standards" and their "blatant bias" towards "Zionist occupation", Times of Israel reported.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, has slammed the joint statement issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. "These positions once again confirm the double standards of these countries, and their blatant bias towards the Zionist occupation...and provide it with a cover and encouragement to continue and escalate its crimes against our defenceless people," Times of Israel quoted al-Rishq as saying. The Hamas group has also called for mass rallies in the West Bank, Jerusalem and throughout the Arab and Muslim world on Friday in support of its fight against Israel. Hamas also extends an appeal to Palestinians in the diaspora, as well as "the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation all around the world," to gather in "the closest point to Jerusalem" in order to show their solidarity with them and stop the "Israeli plans to Judaize Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa", Times of Israel reported. In the statement on Monday (local time), the leaders of the five countries wrote: "Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage." In a statement on Monday, the US, the UK, Germany, France and Italy condemned the "appalling acts of terrorism" by Hamas and extended their "steadfast and united support" to Israel. "Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage," said the statement by top leaders of these nations. "All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed," the leaders said. Stating that the "terrorist actions" of Hamas have no justification, the leaders affirmed commitment to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself. "Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region," they said. "We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned," the statement added. At least 900 Israelis were killed and over 2,616 people injured after Hamas launched a barbaric 'surprise attack' on Israel on October 7. In a war update shared by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on X, the IDF said that about 30 hostages have been held by Hamas in Gaza in the ongoing conflict. It also stated that about 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza on Israel after which the Israeli defence forces struck 1290 Hamas targets in Gaza. Meanwhile, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli air raids. Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said. In addition to this, at least 18 people have also been killed and around 100 were injured in the West Bank region since Saturday, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
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