Currently, Israel is not only engaged in a conflict with the Islamist movement Hamas but is also waging a war against the entire Palestinian people, stated Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during his address at the Paris conference on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
"None of us supports the killing of civilians on either side. However, what Israel is currently engaged in is not a war against Hamas; it is a war against the entire Palestinian people. Israel's defense minister speaks of fighting 'human animals,' and the prime minister calls to remember the fate of the Amalekites (according to the Bible, were completely exterminated by the people of Israel upon their arrival in the Promised Land - TASS), who were killed sparing neither women nor children. This is the message Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is conveying to his soldiers," Shtayyeh emphasized.
"In the West Bank, along the Jordan River, we have witnessed at least 350 deaths this year, with 147 occurring since October 7. Furthermore, an Israeli minister has sanctioned the distribution of weapons to settlers. What is this if not an authorization to kill Palestinians? What we truly need at this moment is an end to the war, as it is the essential step to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those who desperately need it," stated the Palestinian prime minister.
About the victims
He mentioned that the number of civilian casualties in the Palestinian territories over the past month has already exceeded the total number of civilian casualties throughout the entire conflict in Ukraine.
"How many Palestinians must die for this war to stop? Is it enough that six children and four women die every hour? Is 10,000 dead in 30 days enough? That surpasses the number of casualties in Ukraine over 530 days. Is a month without medicine, water, and electricity enough? Mr. President [French President Emmanuel Macron], the tragedy that the Palestinian people are experiencing didn't start for us on October 7, but 75 years ago: in the refugee camps, in the West Bank [Jordan River], in Jerusalem, under the blockade, and in the war in the Gaza Strip," emphasized Shtayyeh.
Situation in refugee camps
The Palestinian National Authority vehemently rejects the possibility of establishing new refugee camps in the southern Gaza Strip, stated Shtayyeh.
"Humanitarian aid should be distributed throughout the Gaza Strip, not limited to its southern neighborhoods, as it might imply a direct encouragement for residents to relocate from the north to the south. We firmly reject the establishment of any new refugee camps in southern Gaza, as it would signify the complete devastation of the northern areas of the enclave," expressed Shtayyeh.
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Photo: Tim Sullivan (UNCTAD)/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS