Israel presses upcoming G20 summit on deadly Gaza war

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called a draft declaration of the Group of 20 meeting of top economies on its deadly war on the Gaza Strip “balanced and biased,” Anadolu news agency reported.

In a statement on his X account, Saar said the final statement of the G20 summit must recognize what he called Israel’s right to defend itself and condemn Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Lebanese movement Hezbollah.

Saar said he talked with his counterparts from the G20 countries to include in the final statement what he called “recognition of Israel’s right to defend itself,” demand the release of Israeli captives in Gaza, and condemn both Hamas and Hezbollah.

He warned that any other statement that does not address Israel’s concerns “will harm the peace and security” of the region.

Leaders of the G20 group of largest economies will meet in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and Tuesday for their annual summit hosted by Brazil.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,800 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, over 3,400 people have been killed and more than 14,400 others injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region is on the brink of a regional war, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict on 1 October by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

OPINION: Massive Palestinian flag unfurled on Brazil´s Copacabana Beach