The foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates has expressed strong condemnation and deep concern over the hostage-taking of Israeli civilians in the Hamas attack near the Gaza Strip.
The Arab Muslim nation, which formalised diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, denounced the attacks and called for “diplomatic endeavors to avert a broader regional conflict.”
During Saturday’s assault, a minimum of 100 hostages were taken, resulting in the tragic loss of over 700 lives among the Israeli population. This incident subsequently led to retaliatory air strikes, claiming the lives of more than 430 individuals in Gaza.
“The ministry stressed that attacks by Hamas against Israeli towns and villages near the Gaza Strip, including the firing of thousands of rockets at population centres, are a serious and grave escalation,” said the statement late on Sunday.
“The ministry is appalled by reports that Israeli civilians have been abducted as hostages from their homes.”
The recent statement is noticeably less impartial compared to the UAE’s initial response on Saturday, which had expressed significant concern about the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
“The UAE expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and urges all diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional confrontation,” the latest statement said, warning against “nihilistic destruction”.
