Muslims around the world are celebrating a subdued Eid Al Fitr today, amid the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which despite a United Nations Security Council resolution for ceasefire, has continued through the fasting month of Ramadan. Israel’s military campaign since October 7, 2023, has killed at least 33,360 people in the Gaza Strip, and left around 76,000 wounded. At least 153 deaths were reported in 24 hours leading to the eve of Eid Al Fitr.
Attacks on civilians have continued despite the UNSC and UNGA resolutions as well as directives by the International Court of Justice for Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance, and prevent and punish incitement to commit genocide.
Israel’s use of food and starvation as a weapon of war have also been condemned. The UN said yesterday that Israel is blocking far more convoys carrying food aid within Gaza, where famine is looming, than convoys carrying other kinds of aid. “Food convoys that should be going particularly to the north, where 70 percent of people face famine conditions, are ... three times more likely to be denied than any other humanitarian convoys with other kinds of material,” Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations’ humanitarian agency told reporters in Geneva.
The State of Qatar, for its part, has been working tirelessly to not only increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to around 2.3 million people of Gaza, but has also been making efforts to broker a ceasefire between the two sides. On Monday, Qatar dispatched 91st aircraft to deliver humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. It carried 30 tonnes of aid, including food and medical supplies. On the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar has also evacuated hundreds of injured Palestinians for treatment at Qatar hospitals. A new batch of such evacuees arrived in Doha on board a Qatar Armed Forces plane on Monday.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza H E Sigrid Kaag was also in Doha over the weekend to discuss Gaza aid efforts. She met Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater.
The Minister of State reiterated Qatar’s condemnation of the Israeli attack on an aid convoy of the World Central Kitchen organisation in the Gaza Strip, and stressed the importance of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in helping millions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
