Italy's Parliament calls on govt to support Gaza cease-fire
The Italian Parliament holds the Italy-Africa summit inside the Madama Palace (Senate) in Rome, Italy, Jan. 29, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


Italy's parliament passed a motion Tuesday urging the government to support a cease-fire in Gaza as Israel continues to bombard the Palestinian enclave.

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.

"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.

The territory is seeing a humanitarian catastrophe due to the attacks and Israeli blockade, which killed over 28,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion of 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.