HAMAS has called on the Arab countries and the United Nations to take urgent action to stop the brutal crime of starvation and siege being perpetrated by the ‘Israeli occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip, and to hold the fascist war criminals accountable for their ongoing crimes against humanity.’
In a statement on Saturday, Hamas said: ‘The government of terrorist Netanyahu (who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court) continues to deepen the humanitarian catastrophe it has created in the Gaza Strip by committing a war crime characterised by collective punishment against more than two million Palestinian citizens, through starvation and deprivation of essential means of life, for the seventh consecutive day.’
Hamas warned that the repercussions of this crime extend, along with the people in the Gaza Strip, to include the prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance, who are subjected to the same restrictions and deprivation of food, medicine, and care as the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Hamas has held ‘war criminal Netanyahu fully responsible for the consequences of the brutal siege and closure, and for his indifference towards his prisoners in the Gaza Strip’.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, described Israel’s actions in the West Bank as shameful and illegal, though not surprising.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Albanese affirmed that Israel is seeking to control what remains of Palestine, noting that it is currently implementing in the West Bank what it previously did in the Gaza Strip.
Albanese emphasised that the events of October 7, 2023, cannot justify all that Israel is doing, including its attempts to resume fighting in Gaza. She added that despite Israel not facing any attacks in the West Bank, its residents are experiencing violence similar to that faced by the people of the Gaza Strip, amidst the international community’s and Arab countries’ inability to take decisive action.
Albanese criticised the Arab stance on Israeli crimes, describing it as shocking. She asserted that there are no security justifications for denying water access to Palestinian residents or imposing restrictions on their religious freedom, pointing out that Israel prevents Palestinians under the age of 55 from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.
She noted that many UN rapporteurs affirm that Israel has no rights to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, or East Jerusalem, calling for Israel to withdraw its forces and dismantle its settlements, or at least to adhere to its legal obligations as an occupying power.
Albanese praised the positions of South Africa, Spain, and Namibia, which have taken concrete steps against Israeli policies, compared to Arab countries that have only attempted to prevent Donald Trump’s plan in Gaza.
Albanese mocked the claims about the limited ability of Arab countries to act, asserting that the current circumstances provide an important opportunity to unify the Arab voice in defence of Palestinians instead of merely focusing on the reconstruction of Gaza. She stressed that normalisation with Israel cannot come at the expense of Palestinians and their cause, accusing some Arab countries of conspiring with Israel against Palestinians.
On the ground, the Israeli occupation continued its military aggression in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, causing widespread destruction to residents’ homes. The occupation forces also stormed several towns and cities in the West Bank.
In a related context, violent clashes erupted between Palestinians and occupation forces in the town of Beit Ummar in Al-Khalil, where Israeli forces blocked worshippers from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Israel has been carrying out a large-scale military operation in northern West Bank for weeks, starting in the refugee camps and then expanding to other areas, marking the longest aggression in years.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the major US, UK and EU trade unions stand idly by and watch the Palestinian masses bravely battling for their rights.
The major imperialist powers of the US, the UK and the EU are now furiously rearming as they threaten to take massive military actions to divide and redivide the planet between themselves, with the working class of the world under furious attack by the bosses who are feverishly slashing workers’ jobs and cutting workers’ pay.
Enough is enough! The working class has tremendous power and must at once ditch its mis-leaders and call general strike mass actions to prepare the way for socialist revolutions worldwide. There is not a moment to lose!!!
