Former Bolivian President Evo Morales criticizes Bolivia, Israel for situation in Gaza

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Former Bolivian President Evo Morales criticized his country and Israel following an attack by Hamas on Israel.

Morales shared a picture of a tank captured by Israel on X and he had criticism about the Israeli government and Bolivia's Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding the conflict.

He was disappointed with the statement because it did not accurately reflect the real situation faced by Palestinians, he said.

The Bolivian Foreign Ministry expressed "deep concern" about the violence in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestine in a written statement.

It said Bolivia regrets the UN’s inaction and believes it has a responsibility to address the crisis and find solutions.

Moraels condemned the imperialist and colonial actions of the Zionist government.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry expressed "deep concern" about recent events in Gaza and stressed that the escalation of violence is due to the lack of international recognition of Palestine's historical rights in international law.

Hamas launched Operation Al Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

In turn, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said we are "at war." He urged civilians in Gaza to leave as the Israeli military is going to turn "all Hamas hiding places into rubble."

At least 232 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks, according to medical sources in Gaza, while the Israeli death toll climbed to 300.

More than 3,000 rockets have been launched by Hamas toward Israel since morning, according to the Israeli army.

It acknowledged in a statement on X that soldiers had been captured and taken hostage into Gaza, and confirmed that more than 1,000 Israelis were injured.

*Necva Tastan contributed to this story from Istanbul