Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
ROME, September 26 (Xinhua) — Italy has sent warships to the southern Mediterranean to escort the international humanitarian flotilla to Gaza, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced on Thursday.
During a speech to the Italian Senate (the upper house of parliament), G. Crosetto stated that the frigate Pheasant was dispatched on Wednesday after drones attacked several vessels from the Sumud Global Flotilla coalition off the coast of the Greek island of Crete. A second, larger ship is also en route to replace the Pheasant once it reaches the flotilla.
"The Italian government strongly condemns what happened. Attacks on civilian vessels on the high seas are completely unacceptable," said G. Crosetto.
However, he stressed that the warships' mission is limited to protecting Italians and other civilians on board.
No organization has claimed responsibility for the drone attacks. The Sumud Global Flotilla blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel has yet to comment.
The Sumud Global Flotilla, made up of some 52 small vessels and more than 500 volunteers from over 40 countries, aims to challenge the naval blockade imposed by Israel in 2007 and deliver food and medical aid to the Palestinians.
Speaking a few hours earlier at the UN General Assembly in New York, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared that Israel had "crossed the line" in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip. While acknowledging Israel's right to respond to the Hamas attack in October 2023, she noted that the scale of its response was disproportionate and resulted in serious civilian casualties.
The latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for almost two years. More than 65,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip, almost half of them women and children, and 2 million people are facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
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