Greece, a useful voice in the region

The reaction to the attack by Hamas reconfirmed the deepening strategic cooperation between Greece and Israel, which is totally independent of the growing mistrust between Jerusalem and Ankara that makes any rapprochement between the two, at least in the short or medium term, extremely difficult.

Greece has taken a clear stand against the terrorist action, supporting Israel's right to defend itself - in line with humanitarian and international law as "collective punishment is prohibited by the laws of war" - while at the same time making a clear distinction between Hamas and the Palestinian people.

Athens has emphasized the need for Israel to act in a way that minimizes the humanitarian cost.

For its part it is trying to contribute to a viable path to peace as the war will undoubtedly lead to more deaths of innocent people - the bombing of the Greek Orthodox...