"It is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the guns. Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region. Time for peace, international law and justice. The United Nations is fully committed to achieving those goals," he emphasized, TASS reported.
"In the midst of so much bloodshed and division, we must hold on to hope. Let us honor the memory of the victims, reunite families and end the suffering and violence in the whole West Asia. And let us never stop working for a lasting solution to the conflict where Israel, Palestine and all other countries of the region can finally live in peace and dignity and with respect for one another," he said.
He pointed to the fact that "the war that has followed the terrible attacks of one year ago continues to shatter lives and inflict profound human suffering for Palestinians in Gaza, and now the people of Lebanon."
Tensions flared up again in West Asia on October 7, 2023. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave with the aim of destroying Hamas military and political structures and freeing all those abducted.
At the end of November 2023, a humanitarian truce was established for a week with the mediation of Egypt and Qatar. During this time, according to Israel, 110 hostages were freed.
MA/PR