Italy parliament urges government to support cease-fire in

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) – Italy’s parliament approved a motion Tuesday calling on the government to support cease-fire initiatives in Gaza, where Israeli attacks have killed more than 28,000 people.

The motion urges the government “to support any initiative aimed at requesting an immediate cease-fire for humanitarian reasons, according to the text approved by lawmakers.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Giorgia Meloni has repeatedly affirmed Israel has the right to defend itself, but has also criticized Tel Aviv for the way it is conducting the war in the blockaded enclave.

"At this point, Israel’s reaction is disproportionate, there are too many victims who have nothing to do with Hamas," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said earlier in the day.

Opposition parties, which tabled the motion, have urged the government on many occasions to deploy more diplomatic efforts to achieve an end to the war.​​​​​​​

The approved motion also urges Rome to support initiatives for the creation of humanitarian corridors to rescue civilians in Gaza, to inform parliament about the export of weapons to Israel and on the activities of the European mission in the Red Sea to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.