MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan President expresses support to Israel

Peña also said he wished peace would return “to this brother country as soon as possible”

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Sunday conveyed his country's support to his Israeli colleague Isaac Herzog during a telephone conversation, it was reported in Asuncion.

“I had a telephone conversation with @Isaac_Herzog, President of Israel. I conveyed to him all our support in this difficult moment and our sincere wish that peace returns to this brother country as soon as possible,” Peña wrote on social media about the Oct. 7 attack by the terrorist group Hamas that left some 1,300 dead and 126 hostages. Peña expressed his support for Israel “in the face of the cowardly terrorist attacks it has suffered.” The South American leader also said he wished peace would return “to this brother country as soon as possible.”

“We condemn, repudiate and reject these inhumane actions that threaten the peace of the world and that pain us greatly by affecting a nation with which we have strong fraternal ties,” Peña published on X at the time of the attacks.

Hamas has been recognized by the Paraguayan state as an “international terrorist organization” since August 2019, pursuant to Decree 2.307/19.

Asuncion has already managed the repatriation of 28 of its nationals, it was also reported.

Meanwhile, the Jewish Community in the Paraguayan capital staged a demonstration Sunday by the riverside calling for peace in the Middle East. The president of the Jewish Community in Paraguay, Jack Fleischman, said the march was carried out to express support for human rights and also to take a stand against violence.

“My children, my grandchildren, we are Paraguayans by nationality, Jews by religion, and for the mere fact of being Jewish there are people who want to kill us,” he assured while dubbing Hamas' actions as “savagery.” The demonstrators showed photographs of people missing after the Hamas attacks.