Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Thursday, October 12, 2023. Israel’s retaliation has escalated after Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers launched an unprecedented attack on Israel Saturday, killing over 1,200 Israelis and taking captive dozens. Heavy Israeli airstrikes on the enclave has killed over 1,200 Palestinians. (AP)
MANILA, Philippines — Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss on Monday said Iran is trying to start a “regional war” amid the rising tension between Israel and militant group Hamas.
Fluss, in a televised interview, said Iran is sponsoring terrorism and sponsoring violence.
“Iran is trying to cause [or] to create a regional war,” said Fluss over ANC’s Headstart.
Iran earlier warned that if Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” are not immediately stopped, “the situation could spiral out of control.”
“With all due respect to Iran, Hamas has launched a war and Hamas is continuing to fight against Israel not releasing hostages which it has kidnapped [and] continuing the launching of missiles and rockets,” said Fluss.
According to Fluss, “Iran is a problem,” adding that it’s about time for the international community to restrain Iran in order to make the region “safer.”
“Iran is a problem. It’s not a solution in our region,” Fluss added.
The tension between Israel and Hamas escalated after the militant group launched an massive attack in the Gaza Strip on October 7. Thousands of people have been killed amid the armed conflict, including four Filipinos.
Fluss, in the same interview, repeatedly noted that the war is against Hamas and not Palestinians, adding that Israelis are “not cruel” and they want “peace.”
“Hamas is a social islamic organization working through social networks, economic benefits and building military capability in order to destroy the state of Israel,” said Fluss.
“We want our children to live and not to die and not to serve the military as we have to until today. We want the Palestinians to have a better life,” he stressed.
Asked if declaring a war is the only solution to solve this problem, Fluss said no, but right now, he said the Israel government is responsible for protecting its citizens.