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E-mail Xinhua, April 20, 2024
ROME, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflicts to prevent further escalation.
Addressing a press conference Friday after a ministerial meeting in Capri, Italy, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was not involved in Israel's strike, adding the G7 remained devoted to defusing the crisis.
"We are committed to Israel's security; we are also committed to de-escalating," Blinked added.
Despite the escalated tensions between Israel and Iran, the G7 "intensely focused" on the conflict in Gaza, he noted.
In their final document, the G7 ministers promised commitment to "a sustainable peace based on a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State."
"All parties must refrain from unilateral actions that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution," they urged.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, nearly 34,000 Palestinians were killed and over 76,000 others injured by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. The death toll includes at least 13,800 Palestinian children, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said.
The G7 confirmed its opposition to any full-scale military operation by Israel in Rafah, where a majority of 1.7 million Palestinians forcibly displaced by the conflict are taking refuge.
Such an operation, they warned, "would have catastrophic consequences on the civilian population."
In addition, the G7 called for "specific, concrete and measurable steps to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza in light of imminent risk of famine for a majority of Gaza's population."
However, the United States on Thursday voted against a Palestinian request for full UN membership at the Security Council. The decision not only drew wide disappointment, but also called into question the U.S. sincerity to realize the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. Enditem
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