Lithuania supports Israel’s efforts to repel attacks by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas has said.
“What Lithuania does support is Israel’s efforts to repel attacks by the terrorist organisation. I can say this with confidence,” the minister told reporters on Monday.
“In this case, at least what Israel is emphasising is that Israel is a state, and Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has revealed its essence through its actions,” he added.
Anušauskas spoke after Hamas militants’ sudden incursion into Israel over the weekend. Israel retaliated with strikes on the Gaza Strip and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel would destroy Hamas.
“Israeli aviation is focusing on striking military installations that are sometimes set up, for example, in schools. We need to realise that this terrorist organisation is actively using civilians for cover, not necessarily hostages, but its own residents,” Anušauskas said. “The reality is that Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties and the other side wants to have as many civilian casualties as possible.”
More than 700 people are estimated to have already died in the Hamas attack, and more than 400 died during airstrikes in Gaza. UN data shows that more than 123,000 people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the conflict between Palestinian militants and Israel.
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