MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. The conflict unfolding in the Gaza Strip may bring about the elimination of the entire population of the embattled Palestinian enclave, President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska (one of the two political entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina) said in an exclusive interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"The Gaza developments stand out completely against all previous [conflicts]. This crisis is a conflict that may end up wiping out the entire population in that region," he said.

Despite the conflict’s heavy death toll, Western countries "will justify any crime where they can benefit, <...> nor will they do anything to stop the operation," Dodik lamented.

While Hamas’ crimes cannot be ignored, the Republika Srpska leader said, commenting on the reasons behind the conflict, "the United States and other powers obviously responded in an undue manner." "It is necessary to put an end to the suffering of ordinary people," he concluded.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 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.

In response, Israel declared a total siege of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes have also been reported in the West Bank. The Gaza death doll has reached almost 30,000 since the escalation began.