The Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, today summoned the Ambassador of Israel, Jonathan Peled, to the Ministry. Ambassador Guariglia lodged a formal protest and requested an explanation for the incident that occurred earlier today, in which a diplomatic delegation from European Union countries — including the Italian Deputy Consul in Jerusalem — came under gunfire from IDF soldiers at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp.
Ambassador Guariglia condemned the conduct of the Israeli military, describing it as unacceptable that an unarmed civilian diplomatic delegation should be forced away from a military-controlled area through the use of firearms. He also reiterated to the Israeli representative what the Italian Government has been urgently demanding for days — and what Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has stated publicly: Israel must halt its military operations in Gaza. It must prioritise political and diplomatic negotiations to secure the release of Israeli hostages and to achieve a ceasefire that could revive the peace process. Above all, Israel must immediately open the crossings into Gaza to allow the large-scale delivery of food and medical aid to the Palestinian population. Ambassador Guariglia reaffirmed the Italian Government’s position that the Palestinian population are themselves victims of Hamas terrorists and must no longer be caught up in IDF military attacks.
