Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza has killed more than a thousand people in the Palestinian enclave, including children, women and the elderly and wounded more than 5,000 others. Israel has also hit mosques, markets, and health and education facilities and brought down multi-storey residential buildings in the blockaded territory home to more than 2.3 million Palestinians. Despite the UN warning, Israel has cut off electricity, water, food and gas to the territory, which has compounded the misery of Gaza’s civilian population where healthcare facilities are running out of power and essential medical supplies.
Israeli strikes also hit an education facility run by Education Above All Foundation in Gaza. Attacks on civilian infrastructure including schools are serious violations of international law, and if deliberate they constitute war crimes.
Qatar is making utmost efforts to halt the fighting and protect civilians in the conflict. Qatar has been in constant contact with regional and international players to find a way to de-escalate the situation through diplomatic channels. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has discussed the situation in Palestine with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and several other leaders. The Amir stressed that safeguarding the lives of civilians, sparing them the consequences of conflict, and reducing escalation are top priorities for Qatar, which is making all its diplomatic efforts to achieve this goal.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has also made contacts with foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkiye, Iran, the US, Spain, France and the UK to discuss solutions to the crisis, coordinate efforts, exchange views, and strengthen points of agreement to end the bloodshed.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk has warned that the imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law. However, Israeli military has completely disregarded its obligations under international law and as the occupying force in the Palestinian territories. Gaza’s sole power plant, shut down yesterday after it ran out of fuel, further complicating the humanitarian situation in the territory.
There is an urgent need for the international community to intervene and end the bloodshed in Gaza, and the only lasting solution the conflict is a just and comprehensive solution with an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
