Italy’s leftist main opposition party on Wednesday called on the government to end its “complicit silence” on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, reported Anadolu Agency.

“These crimes must be stopped, the international community and the Italian government must do everything to stop this massacre. The government must express firm condemnation of Israel, (and) work for a ceasefire and to unblock humanitarian aid to Gaza,” said Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein during debate on a joint parliamentary motion by opposition parties urging the government to act against Israel.

“The UN has said that what has been going on in Gaza is ethnic cleansing. We must stop the crimes of the Israeli extreme right led by Netanyahu. The world cannot stand by and watch. In this joint motion we ask the Italian government to break its complicit silence and express firm condemnation of the crimes of the Israeli government,” she added.

“Israel is violating every rule of international humanitarian law, creating a dangerous precedent. This is why we are calling for sanctions on the Israeli government. We are calling for sanctions and a total embargo on arms to and from Israel. In this motion we express our full support for the Palestinians,” Schlein underlined.

On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said the EU will review a pact governing its political and economic ties with Israel due to the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza.

In the past few days, the Israeli army intensified its air assaults in Gaza, killing more than 500 Palestinians and injuring hundreds of others.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.