The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, has called on the United States of America and other Western countries to stop providing weapons to Israel to execute its war in Gaza.
He made the call while addressing the media at the Embassy of the State of Palestine to Nigeria on Thursday.
Hamas had on October 7, 2023 attacked Israel which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
At least 28,663 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory, according to the health ministry.
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Israel launched more deadly strikes on southern Gaza on Thursday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted it would push ahead with a “powerful” operation in the overcrowded city of Rafah for “complete victory”.
The US and other Western countries have been lamenting about the volume of deaths being recorded in Israel’s war on Gaza, calling on the Israeli government to reconsider its strategies.
US President Joe Biden said, “Israel’s response in Gaza is over the top…there are a lot of innocent people who are starving, in trouble, and dying. It’s got to stop.”
However, the Palestinian envoy said the US president’s comment was not sufficient, maintaining that he should back it with action.
“Could you allow the Security Council to work and adopt a ceasefire resolution? All that Mr. Biden said means nothing as long as he does not take practical steps to put an end to the butchery of innocent people by American weapons,” he said.
The Palestinian envoy lamented that Israel was using F-15s, F-16s, F-35s, helicopters, tanks, missiles, and ammunition, which cost billions of dollars, to destroy the refugee camps and kill thousands.
“Without the unshakable and unquestionable Western support to the Israeli aggression, this war would not have happened. The Palestinians in Gaza today are being forced to choose between being killed, maimed, or fleeing their homes.”
He raised the alarm that Israel was planning to exile Palestinians to Sinai with the planned attack on Rafah, calling on authorities to act.
“The mass destruction, relentless bombardment, artillery shells, and other Israeli military aggressions on Gaza are meant to serve only one purpose, which is the expulsion of the Palestinians in an exodus,” he said.
