Tel Aviv's refusal to allow Moscow to set up a field hospital in Gaza on safety grounds is just a pretext.
Mehmet Rakipoglu, a researcher on international affairs at London-based think-tank the Dimensions for Strategic Studies told Sputnik that Israeli authorities would be against such a move on the part of any country that openly “stands out against Western hegemony, such as Russia and China.”
“It shows that Israel does not have any concern or does not have any respect for civilians. Opening a hospital in Gaza, of course, must be considered as a good move if you are a democratic country and Israel directly perceives that this is a threat to the national security of Israel. So Israel is not a democratic country,” Mehmet Rakipoglu said.
Russia will increase the delivery of medical equipment and medicines to those affected by the Israeli-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip at the request of the Jewish state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during his year-end press conference.
"We have an agreement with the Israelis, and they asked us to do this, to boost the number of deliveries of medical equipment and medicines. We will certainly do it," Putin said during his annual televised press conference.
The Russian president stressed the need to prostect the lives of people in the Gaza Strip and urged increased delivery of humanitarian aid to the conflict-torn enclave. Putin also said that he had discussed the possibility of opening a Russian hospital in the Gaza Strip with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I spoke with the Egyptian president, he is in favor of it, supports it. I talked to Prime Minister Netanyahu, there are consultations between the various security agencies. The Israeli side believes that it is not safe to open a Russian hospital in Gaza," Putin said.
As for the differences between the situation in Ukraine and Gaza that President Vladimir Putin pointed out in his annual Q&A session, Rakipoglu said Israel “has been violating international law in Gaza and also in the West Bank.”
“The main difference between the situation in Ukraine and Gaza is that Israel does not respect the rights of Palestinians. This is not happening just today. 40 years ago or 30 years ago, you still saw the same scenario," Rakipoglu added. "So it's like a pattern. It's like a bunch of examples that have been implemented by Israel in Gaza. So when we compare Gaza and Ukraine, we see that Israel is the main actor that violates international law. Israel will not allow any countries to get involved in Gaza.”
Comparing the current situation in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that there was no comparison between the loss of civilian lives in the Palestinian enclave and the special military operation zone.
"What is happening [in the Gaza Strip] is of course a disaster. We have just talked about the situation related to the Ukrainian crisis, but you and everyone present here and around the world can see: look at the special military operation, and what is happening in the Gaza Strip, and feel the difference. There is nothing like this in Ukraine," Putin said.