Israel recalls its envoys to Ireland, Norway, Spain
Europe
By
AFP
| May 22, 2024
Israel recalled its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday and also summoned their envoys in protest at the three governments' recognition of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz charged that all three countries were rewarding the Palestinian militant group Hamas for their October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war.
"The twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the 7/10 victims," he said in a statement.
Israel's envoys were being recalled from Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for "urgent consultations" and threatened "serious consequences", the minister added.
Katz said that the three countries' ambassadors were also being summoned for a "conversation that would rebuke" their governments' decision to recognise a Palestinian state by May 28.
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Hamas launched an attack on October 7 which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
The militants also took 252 hostages, 124 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 37 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,647 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Katz said he would show the three ambassadors a video of the kidnapping of female Israeli soldiers during the Hamas attack.
"They decided to award a gold medal to the murderers and rapists of Hamas," Katz said. "We will demonstrate to them what a twisted decision their governments took."