(MENAFN) Russia’s first deputy permanent envoy to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, has strongly criticized Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City, claiming it disregards the lessons of the Holocaust and breaches international regulations.

His remarks came during an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday, which was held after Israel's leadership in West Jerusalem approved the contentious operation.

The move has sparked widespread condemnation from around the world.

According to Polyansky, the Israeli action would worsen the already dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and effectively sabotage any remaining hopes for a peaceful two-state resolution between Israel and Palestine.

He asserted that the move signified the official acceptance of an occupation structure.

“We firmly condemn the Netanyahu government’s intention to seize Gaza,” Polyansky stated, highlighting that the country had once again turned a deaf ear to global calls and the desperate appeals of families whose loved ones are still held hostage.

Following the October 2023 assault by Hamas on Israel, in which around 1,200 individuals—mainly Israelis—were killed and 251 were kidnapped, approximately 50 hostages are still missing.

Reports indicate that only about 20 are presumed to be alive.

Polyansky accused Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar of insincerity, describing his public expressions of grief as “crocodile tears.”

He claimed that despite these displays of concern, Sa’ar knowingly backed a military initiative that effectively eliminated any realistic chances of rescuing the captives alive.

The Russian diplomat expressed disbelief that a nation whose people endured the horrors of the Holocaust could now, in his words, force Palestinians “in ghettos” and pursue their "complete destruction."

Polyansky described this as a stark demonstration of how easily the critical lessons of the past can be forgotten.

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