Pavel: Humanitarian crisis in Gaza must be resolved urgently, but harsh words won't help

President Petr Pavel has called for an urgent resolution to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but cautioned against the use of inflammatory language. Speaking during a visit to the Moravian-Silesian Region, he reaffirmed that Czechia’s position on providing humanitarian aid to civilians remains unchanged. While describing the situation as unbearable, he emphasized that it does not alter Czech support for Israel more broadly. Pavel recalled bringing humanitarian aid during his May visit to Jordan and stressed that Czech politicians consistently raise the issue in international forums. According to Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Czechia has allocated 20 million crowns for aid this year. The conflict began in October 2023 after Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. Israeli strikes have since killed nearly 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.