The first serious effort to achieve a truce and protect civilians is underway in Cairo as the work of the Peace Summit convened by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi began at noon.

The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his speech at the Synod he emphasized, among other things, that Mrwe defended Israel’s right to self-defense and that Hamas is not identical to the Palestinian people while causing untold pain to Israelis and Palestinians.

Mr. Mitsotakis underlined that no military intervention can replace a viable political solution

As the prime minister said: “I must say that in these critical moments for peace and stability in the region, I come here as a true friend and neighbor. And of course I am cutting a key message which is that we all condemn terrorism in any form and at the same time think about the damage to the citizens.

There is damage in Gaza and the wider region from the terrorist attacks of Hamas and there. There were innocent victims on both sides, there are civilian civilians, there are hostages and until the hostages are completely free we cannot talk about peace. At the same time there are injured people, there are people who were murdered in their homes in Israel, who died in the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza.

Greece’s position was extremely clear from the beginning. Israel has the right to self-defense, but always in accordance with international law, human rights law.

At the same time, I want to be clear collective punishment is prohibited by the laws governing wars and these laws are designed to say that there are limits to the harm and damage we can inflict on other human beings in cases of war. And I must also say that the absolute siege is against international law. At the same time, we must be honest in our judgment.

Hamas is a terrorist organization that causes untold pain to Israelis and Palestinians. THE Hamas it is not identical with the Palestinian people and we should not confuse the two. The Palestinian people do not deserve this. The president Abbasthe Palestinian leader, has spoken out bravely against violence since the first day of the crisis.

It is very clear that the current situation carries risks of regional escalation.

Egypt and Jordan carry a heavy burden and rightly feel extremely anxious about the possibility of displacement of people in Gaza. I am here to support King Abdullah but also President Sisi and to tell them that Greece stands in solidarity with them on their side because an escalation of the fighting and the situation will have wide consequences, while I believe we cannot tolerate any further loss of life.

We must also acknowledge the victims, as well as the pain, the trauma these attacks have brought to both Israelis and Palestinians, while at the same time we must alleviate the pain. The hostages must be released and return to their families while the Red Cross must have access to them by offering humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

This must be ensured and I would like to emphasize the UN Secretary-General’s efforts in this regard and welcome the announcement of the opening of a humanitarian corridor from Egypt to Gaza for the transport of essential supplies. I hope this can be done very quickly. Greece is in complete harmony with its European partners. We are ready to contribute to any peacekeeping mission. As a neighboring country, we believe we can achieve immediate de-escalation to bring humanitarian aid to all citizens and civilians.

Finally, but no less important, I would like to say that the future we want for this region, the future of sustainable peace, prosperity and stability, can only be achieved by continuing a peace process on the basis of two states. One thing must be clear to all of us that no military intervention can replace a viable political solution.”