Qatar continues its efforts for ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and stopping the spread of the conflict in the region.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said during a joint press conference yesterday with US Secretary of State H E Antony Blinken that Qatar believes that Gaza crisis must be contained as soon as possible and a ceasefire must be reached, which would also address the threats to the rest of the countries of the region.
The Prime Minister's visit to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday came in the same context. Besides, the Prime Minister also discussed efforts for ceasefire with Prime Minister of Lebanon H E Najib Mikati and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran H E Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and a delegation consisting of members from the US Congress.
The genocidal Israeli war and indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip is one of the worst human tragedies in the recent times. The UN humanitarian chief has described Gaza as “uninhabitable” three months into war and warned that famine was looming and a public health disaster unfolding.
Martin Griffiths said that Gaza’s 2.3 million people face “daily threats to their very existence” while the world just watches. Families are sleeping in the open as temperatures plummet and areas where Palestinians were told to relocate being bombed as well.
Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza, aimed at obliterating Hamas, had killed more than 22,835 people as of yesterday, two-thirds of them women and children. The conflict has displaced some 85% of Gaza’s population and the UN has identified more than 37,000 structures destroyed or damaged in the war so far.
The only solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ending the occupation of all Palestinians lands as the Hamas leader has said. Without addressing the root cause of the problem, there will be no peace in the Middle East.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Blinken to use his current Middle East tour to end Israel’s “aggression” in Gaza.
In a video message, Haniyeh said he hoped Blinken had “learned the lessons of the last three months” during which Israel had relentlessly bombarded Gaza in an effort to destroy the group. US support for Israel’s military campaign “has caused unprecedented massacres and war crimes against our people in Gaza”, Haniyeh said.
“We... hope that he will be more focused this time on ending the aggression” as well as “the occupation of all Palestinian lands”, Hamas chief added. He urged regional leaders due to meet Blinken to tell him that stability in the Middle East was “closely linked to our Palestinian cause”.
