Slovenia calls for end to Israeli onslaught on Gaza

By Ismail Ozdemir and Almir Terzic

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AA) - Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon stated on Monday that the war in Gaza must stop and that they are working to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid.

Fajon, who attended a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg to discuss developments in the Middle East and Ukraine, told reporters that she “strongly condemns” Israel's actions.

She reiterated her country's call for “cessation of hostilities in Gaza” and said that they are making efforts to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid to the region.

Stating that Israel's attacks on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must stop immediately and the peacekeepers must be protected, Fajon said: “This is a violation of international law.”

“I support the work of UNIFIL in Lebanon, and this is a 'grave crime',” she stressed.

The Slovenian foreign minister further reiterated her call for sanctions against Israeli political leaders who violate international law and against Israelis who violently seize Palestinian land.

She added that they will continue to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

UNIFIL said on Sunday that two Israeli tanks destroyed the gate to the UN peacekeeping site in Ramyah, southern Lebanon.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,600 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Merve Berker