Another seven Greek citizenhttps://greekcitytimes.com/2023/10/20/legacy-of-faith-saint-porphyrius-church-gaza/s passed safely from the Gaza Strip to Rafah, in Egypt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in a statement.
As pointed out by the Greek Foreign Ministry, these people lived in the monastery of Saint Porphyrios.
In the near future, the ministry adds, all seven will be in Greece.
The announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Following the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a family of seven people who resided in the Monastery of Saint Porphyry in Gaza City crossed today from Gaza into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.
The five Greek citizens and their relatives are now in Egypt, and their transfer to Greece will be planned in the near future.
Israel’s friends must give it ‘hard truths’ over Gaza assault, says Greek PM
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Israel’s allies must speak “hard truths” about its “aggressive” military response against Hamas, as European countries show increasing concern over the “proportionality” of its retaliation in Gaza.
“While we recognize that Israel has the right to defend itself, how it does so actually matters, and it matters considerably,” Mitsotakis told POLITICO’s Power Play podcast this week.
While the EU has stood behind Israel since the beginning of its counteroffensive following Hamas’ violent attack on October 7 — which killed more than 1,400 people — member countries have expressed “an increased concern over the plight of innocent civilians and about the horrifying scenes that came out of Gaza,” Mitsotakis said.
“As Israel continues with this very, very aggressive military campaign, yes, there will be an increased concern about the proportionality of the Israeli response,” the Greek prime minister said.
“I’m speaking as a friend of Israel,” he added. “And I think that sometimes friends have to speak hard truths to friends.”
In the past month, Israel has laid a complete siege on Gaza and, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities, killed more than 10,000 people in airstrikes, including thousands of civilians.
EU countries — including Greece — have been pushing for so-called humanitarian pauses in Gaza, to allow the 2.3 million people living in the densely populated coastal strip to receive humanitarian aid.
Without undermining the “strategic goal to defeat Hamas,” it’s important to think about “the day after” and how to find a political solution to the conflict, the premier said.
“At the end of the day, one needs to recognize what is the price that one has to pay in order to defeat Hamas,” he added.
READ MORE: Erdogan: Turkey-US deal impossible if Gaza was seen as Israeli territory.
