Russia Slams Israeli Military Strikes in Gaza as Collective Punishment, Calls for Immediate Ceasefire

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued one of Moscow’s most forceful condemnations of Israeli military operations in Gaza, labeling them as “collective punishment of the civilian population.” His remarks come amid intensifying Israeli air and ground assaults aimed at eliminating Hamas.

Speaking at a regional conference, Lavrov condemned the intensified Israeli offensive launched in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, calling the humanitarian consequences in Gaza “incomprehensible and indescribable.” He stressed that targeting civilians in the name of retaliation violates international norms and aggravates the humanitarian crisis.

“What Israel is doing in Gaza amounts to collective punishment of the civilian population,” Lavrov stated firmly.

Russia, which has traditionally maintained cordial ties with Israel due to cultural, diplomatic, and security cooperation—including coordination in Syria—appears to be repositioning itself closer to the Arab bloc amid the ongoing Middle East turmoil. Nearly one-fifth of Israel’s population speaks Russian, and Israel has so far avoided taking a harsh stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or joining Western-led sanctions.

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However, Lavrov emphasized Moscow’s alignment with Arab countries, underscoring a growing strategic shift. “Alongside our Arab friends and the vast majority of the international community, we demand an immediate end to the bloodshed in Gaza,” he said.

Russia has increasingly sought deeper ties with Arab nations amid its diplomatic isolation from the West, and Lavrov’s remarks further cement its evolving stance in the region, presenting Moscow as a supporter of peace and humanitarian principles.