Italian Government undertakes to combat anti-Semitism in the country

“ ANDoctober 7, 2023, Hamas's terrorist attacks resulted in the massacre of men, women and children. Young people gathered at a musical event were attacked and innocent people were taken from their families and taken into captivity,” Meloni said in a statement.

“Today, we remember the victims of this barbarism and reaffirm our solidarity with their loved ones, those who suffered the horror of kidnapping, and the people of Israel,” he said.

“The passing of time does not reduce the severity of these crimes. No cause can justify the deliberate slaughter of innocents. Remembering it also means renewing the commitment against all forms of anti-Semitism”, he added.

He also stressed, however, that “in the name of the protection of the entire civilian population affected, we cannot remain indifferent to the dramatic and unacceptable suffering of the people of Gaza, nor to the increasing violence of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.”.

“We need to end the spiral of violence,” said the Prime Minister.

Meloni added that “Italy will continue to work for a peace that guarantees security for the Israelis and a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinians, with the prospect of two states living side by side within recognised borders. A future in which terrorism has no place and no child needs to grow in fear and hatred.”.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack on Israeli territory that caused more than 1,200 dead and about 250 kidnapped. Following these terrorist attacks, Israel started a war that devastated the Gaza Strip and caused more than 74,000 deaths.

An independent UN expert committee, as well as Israeli human rights organisations and international entities such as Amnesty International (AI), concluded that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip constitute a genocide against the Palestinian people.