One year ago, on October 7, 2023, the world witnessed the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, unspeakable suffering for men and women, young and old, who were taken hostage, and for their families. Ukraine immediately condemned this shameful act of terror.

The past year has increased human pain and sufferings. The Hamas attack ignited a war that continues to claim lives. The toll of ruined destinies, dead, wounded and expelled from their homes by the war has already reached hundreds of thousands. The evidence of this large-scale human tragedy is reflected in the painful number of victims among Palestinian women and children, the large-scale humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the captivity of a part of Israeli hostages to this day. Strikes continue on the territory of Palestine and Lebanon, and the territory of Israel is shelled.

All this requires an immediate, sufficient and just response of the world, full provision of humanitarian needs of people, protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law and cessation of attacks on civilians.

Broader questions also demand answers: When will peace be achieved? How will the "first day after the war" look like? And what can make its recurrence impossible?

For the sake of a stable, calm and peaceful Middle East, the world has long had a perspective in the form of the creation of two states for two peoples — Israel and Palestine. We are convinced that it is necessary to finally stop avoiding its implementation.

There are already responsible state leaders, political and public figures who seriously contemplate about how to restore normal life as soon as possible after the war, rebuild the destroyed social infrastructure and housing in Palestine, create viable and effective civil institutions. Equally important is guaranteeing Israel's right to a peaceful and secure life. We support such intentions and believe that they are just as important as efforts to prevent the ongoing war from expanding and becoming accustomed to it.

Murder, abuse, sponsoring terror and war must never be accepted as something "normal." All efforts to ensure a just peace deserve respect.