New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): Congress on Sunday condemned the brutal attacks on the people of Israel and said that it has always believed that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a life of equality and dignity must be fulfilled only through a process of dialogue and negotiations while ensuring the legitimate national security interests of the Israeli people.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, "The Indian National Congress condemns the brutal attacks on the people of Israel."

"The Indian National Congress has always believed that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a life of self-respect, equality and dignity must be fulfilled only through a process of dialogue and negotiations while ensuring the legitimate national security interests of the Israeli people. Violence of any type never provides a solution and must stop," Ramesh added.

The remarks from the Congress came after the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday declared a new military operation against Israel and fired a barrage of missiles towards the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip for the first time since May last year.

In the attack, over 500 Israeli citizens lost their lives while more than 1,000 have been injured. In retaliation, Israeli attacks killed 230 Palestinians and injured more than 1,500.