Greek main opposition urges government to seek cease-fire in Gaza

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) — Greece's main opposition party on Thursday urged the government to work toward an immediate cease-fire in Gaza following a devastating Israeli strike that killed over 100 civilians in the Palestinian enclave.

"The Government, instead of being afraid to utter the words 'cease-fire,' sticking to the logic of the 'given ally,' should take the lead — like other European countries — in the effort to secure it," SYRIZA said in a statement.

The left-wing party reiterated its solidarity with the "hard-pressed" Palestinian people, its strong condemnation of killing of civilian in the Gaza Strip, and underlined the need to support the UN efforts for an immediate cease-fire in the territory.

The statement came after Israeli forces shelled a crowd of Palestinians early Thursday as they awaited humanitarian aid south of Gaza City, killing at least 112 Palestinians and injuring 760 others, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

SYRIZA also called for an end to the humanitarian crisis, the return of the Israeli hostages and the immediate resumption of credible talks for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.​

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and over 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.