'Cannot watch Gaza massacre in silence' says Schlein

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 13 - It is not possible to watch on in silence as the civilian population of Gaza is slaughtered in the Israel-Hamas war, centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein said on Tuesday.
    "The PD has presented a motion" to parliament on the Middle East, said Schlein at a press conference in Rome.
    "We feel the need for a serious debate on the Gaza tragedy and this has been our starting point, we cannot watch on in silence as civilians are massacred," she added.
    Over 28,000 civilians, mostly women and children, have reportedly been killed in Gaza and nearly 68,000 more have been injured since the start of the Israeli offensive sparked by the brutal and unprecedented Hamas attacks of October 7 in which around 1,400 Israeli citizens lost their lives.
    On Tuesday Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the war Israel is waging on the Islamist militant group is causing too many civilian victims.
    "At this stage Israel's reaction has become disproportionate," Tajani told Radio1.
    "There are too many victims who have nothing to do with Hamas," he added, calling on Israel to "avoid reprisals against the Palestinian civilian population". (ANSA).