The Russian embassy in Egypt on Tuesday condemned Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid over his military's 'offensive in the Gaza Strip, comparing it to Russia’s army occupation of Ukraine’s city of Bucha, where war crimes against civilians were reported.
Days after the Egypt-mediated ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) took effect, Russia's embassy in Cairo published a tweet accusing Lapid of “double standards” over his previous publication about Ukraine’s Bucha.
4 View gallery
A child walks through the ruins of his home in Gaza during the Israeli offensive
(Photo: AFP)
“Compare Yair Lapid's lie about Ukraine in April and attempts to place blame and responsibility on Russia for the deaths of people in Bucha who were brutally murdered by the (Ukrainian) Nazis with his calls in August for bombing and land strikes in Gaza," the tweet read.
"Isn't that double standards and complete disregard and contempt for the lives of Palestinians?”
Lapid said Russia committed war crimes in a Twitter post after the Russian forces withdrew from the Ukraine city and mass graves were discovered there.
"It is impossible to remain indifferent in the face of the horrific images from the city of Bucha near Kiev, from after the Russian army left,"
The publication on Wednesday, referred to Israel's airstrikes conducted against PIJ leaders and military infrastructure during the three-day operation that left 46 Palestinians killed and 360 wounded, according to Gazan health authorities.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling on all parties “to show maximum restraint and to work towards a ceasefire.”
4 View gallery
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi last month
(Photo: EPA )
Moscow has been widely criticized for its invasion of Ukraine, which led to unprecedented international sanctions against Russia and its growing isolation.
4 View gallery
Bodies of slain residents of Bucha after Russian troops withdrew last April
(Photo: Reuters)
The Russian army was accused of killing and torturing civilians in occupied territories with disturbing images from Bucha, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces in late March.