VIENNA, November 3. /TASS/. The application of the principle of collective punishment against the Palestinian people because of the October 7 surprise attack on Israel by militants of the radical Hamas movement is inadmissible, as Jerusalem’s right to self-defense cannot be unconditional, Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky said.

"I ask that you not misunderstand our position. Russia has its own terrible experience and knows what the fight against terrorism is all about. The Hamas attack on civilians on October 7 was strongly condemned by all levels of government in our country and cannot be justified under any circumstances. Hostage-taking is unacceptable. But collective punishment of the Palestinian people is also unacceptable," the Russian ambassador told the newspaper Oberosterreichische Nachrichten in an interview.

"Israel, of course, has the right to defend itself. But you cannot stop here. Because Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism. But we are mainly talking about the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel," Lyubinsky pointed out.

According to the ambassador, the basis for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue has been worked out by the UN and provides for the creation of two states.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking more than 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.

On November 2, a UN panel of experts said that the Palestinian people are at risk of genocide because of Israel's operation in Gaza. In a statement issued in Geneva, they called upon Israel and its allies to "agree to an immediate ceasefire."