Day: 4 March 2024

RAMALLAH: The Israeli army’s repeated killings of Palestinian civilians by deliberately running them over alive with military vehicles was vehemently denounced in a statement issued by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor on Sunday.

These crimes are part of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the rights group said, ongoing since 7 October 2023.

The Geneva-based organisation documented the Israeli army’s killing of a Palestinian man who was deliberately run over in Gaza City’s Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood on 29 February after he was arrested. The man was subjected to harsh interrogation by members of the Israeli army, who bound his hands with plastic zip-tie handcuffs before running him over with a military vehicle from the bottom to the top of his body.

The incident occurred on the main Salah al-Din Street in the Zaytoun neighbourhood, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the Euro-Med Monitor team.

Israeli soldiers restrained the victim’s hands before they crushed him, and tramped on his body
from the legs up, confirming that he was alive during the incident. To guarantee thorough and complete crushing, the victim was placed on asphalt rather than in an adjacent sandy area.

The victim’s mutilated body and the surrounding area bear obvious signs that a military bulldozer or tank was present. It appears that the victim was purposefully stripped of his clothes, as he was seen wearing only his underpants at the time of his death.

The ramming operation occurred before the Israeli army withdrew to the outskirts of the Zaytoun neighbourhood two days ago, as evidenced by the condition of the entrails and other body parts, which had not yet decomposed when the case was documented.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

JEDDAH: The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, held a meeting today at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu.

During the meeting, Nurtleu reiterated Kazakhstan’s unwavering support for the cause of Palestine and briefed the Secretary-General about his country’s efforts in supporting the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through UNRWA.

The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Kazakhstan’s active engagement towards Joint Islamic Action, and in particular its generous assistance towards easing the dire plight of the Palestinian people.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

JEDDAH: The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, held a meeting today at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojidin Muhriddin.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on several priority issues on the OIC Agenda. The Minister of Tajikistan commended the OIC’s active support for the Palestinian cause and its efforts towards ending the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

He further reiterated Tajikistan’s strong support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The OIC Secretary-General praised Tajikistan’s active role in the work of the OIC and in advancing Joint Islamic Action including the question of Palestine.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

RAMALLAH: In response to the profound psychological distress and the unfathomable impact of the ongoing Israeli aggression on families in the Gaza Strip, Chairman and CEO of the Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC), Tarek Aggad announced the launch of two pivotal projects aimed at delivering Psychological First Aid (PFA) and urgent community intervention. These initiatives are set to reach around 7,000 women and children, providing them with critical support amidst the unprecedented suffering.

These projects, to be implemented in cooperation with the Palestinian Counselling Center, the Culture and Free Thought Association, and Give Palestine, will be carried out by a group of specialists and social workers in the Gaza Strip with extensive training in psychological intervention, including addressing cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and irreparable childhood trauma.

They will offer a suite of interventions tailored to the acute needs of those most vulnerable, particularly children and moth
ers enduring relentless psychological, mental, and physical strain, according to a press release issued by APIC.

The psychological ramifications of this aggression extend beyond our comprehension, leaving deep, unhealable scars on thousands of the families of the Gaza population, especially among our children, stated Aggad.

He further emphasized the critical nature of these interventions: “Providing Psychological First Aid is not just a necessity-it’s a duty to our people enduring what can only be described as an unparalleled human tragedy’.

He also called for mobilizing all efforts to ensure access to food, clean water, shelter, medicine, and, fundamentally, psychosocial support in the face of this ongoing tragedy.

Faiq Hamayel – Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Counselling Center, thanked APIC for their pioneering role in supporting development and relief projects in Palestine. He also thanked them for their quick response in answering the call to support our people in Gaza, and for
their continued cooperation in implementing relief projects.

Rajaa Shaath, Director of Give Palestine, emphasized the need to continuously support mental health programs and underlined the importance of psychological and social support through professionally qualified social workers for the Palestinian community.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

MADRID: Spain’s foreign affairs minister announced on Monday that Spain will impose unilateral sanctions on about 12 Israeli colonists involved in terrorist attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

In a speech before the Joint Committee of the Spanish House of Representatives, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said that the government began imposing sanctions on ‘a first group of 12 violent colonists.’

On the other hand, he said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell accepted Spain’s petition for the bloc to review its association agreement with Israel on the basis of potential violations of international humanitarian law.

He called for supporting the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ordered Israel to refrain from any genocidal measures against the Palestinians, calling on the parties concerned to comply with those temporary decisions.

The Spanish Minister also urged donor countries to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refug
ees (UNRWA).

He also announced that Spain is preparing a new financial package to continue supporting UNRWA on top of the emergency assistance worth pound 3.5 million ($3.7 million) Spain has sent after many Western nations began cutting funding over Israeli allegations that some of its members were involved in the Oct. 7 attack.

‘Without UNRWA, the fates of many of the 6 million Palestinian refugees it helps is doomed,’ he said. ‘Spain will completely oppose the suspension of funding for the organization. Today, more than ever, the funding is needed.’

Albares said he also pushed for the EU to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, which he said is even more urgent due to the looming threat of an Israeli military expansion into the densely populated city of Rafah.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

NEW YORK: President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, called for the international community to act now to end the Gaza crisis. ‘The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, unconscionable and shameful,’ he said.

‘I am shocked and horrified at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during the disbursement of aid supplies, west of Gaza City last week,’ he said addressing the UNGA meeting which was held today to examine the US veto of the latest Security Council draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, where a grim, forewarned landscape of famine has seen babies and children die of starvation in recent days.

‘This comes with a rising death toll, babies dying of starvation, and 85 percent of Gaza’s population – or 1.9 million people – are internally displaced,’ he noted.

He expressed extreme concern about pending Israeli ground operations in Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million people now reside, urgently calling for maximum restraint to prevail to save innocent civilian lives.

Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access have drastically reduced the flow of lifesaving aid to a mere trickle, with UNRWA reporting a significant 50 percent reduction in the number of trucks entering Gaza daily from January to February, he said.

‘It is therefore essential that we rapidly and substantially increase the scale of humanitarian operations and ensure unrestricted access to all civilians in need,’ he added.

First and foremost, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be implemented and all parties must comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, especially as it relates to the protection of civilians and civilian facilities, stressed the President of the UN General Assembly.

He demanded that full and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for those in need must be ensured.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

BUENOS: A mass march was held in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, today in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

During the march, protestors denounced the brutal aggression and genocide committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip and throughout the Palestinian territories.

The march set off from Rivadavia Park in front of the statue of Simón Bolívar, all the way to Centenario Park, where many speeches and poems were delivered, in addition to theatrical clips expressing the brutality of the Israeli aggression and genocide.

The marchers demanded the aggression be stopped, calling for holding Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity.

The demonstrators raised Palestinian and Argentine flags and banners supporting the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.

They condemned the aggression and genocide, demanding the severing of political and commercial relations with Israel.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

JEDDAH: The Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) for the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-CFM), to consider the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, began at the headquarters of the OIC’s General Secretariat, today.

Ambassador Samir Bakr, the Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs delivered the General Secretariat’s speech, referring to the horrific massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces, which wounded and claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians while they were waiting to receive food aid at the end of last February.

Bakr said this massacre constituted an example and witness to the war crimes practiced by the Israeli occupation army, which necessitates redoubling legal efforts, especially at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, as they are a legitimate and effective tool for holding the Israeli occupation accountable.

Bakr said that
Israel, the occupying power, ongoing bloody crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people call for a more effective movement with a more profound impact on the international arena, with the aim of confronting this brutal Israeli aggression by all legitimate and possible means, including political, legal and media efforts, in implementation of the resolutions adopted by the Joint Arab and Islamic Summit held on November 11, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It is noteworthy that the SOM will submit its draft resolution to the Extraordinary OIC-CFM for adoption at the OIC’s headquarters tomorrow, on Tuesday.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian tribes renewed today their pledge of allegiance and support for the mandate of the sole, legitimate and political leadership represented by President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a statement, the tribes stressed their rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan, which aims to form a civil administration in the Gaza Strip, within the framework of the plan that has been framed as ‘the day after the war on the Gaza Strip.’

The Coordinator of Tribal Affairs in the Southern Governorates, Mohammed Abu Qaida, warned against such suspicious and unacceptable statements that aim to stir up strife and give rise to uncertainty in the Palestinian street.

He stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, stressing that there is no state alone in Gaza and no state without Gaza.

Abu Qaida called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation army against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

He also rejected the
forced displacement of the Palestinian people, stressing the need for the displaced to return to their homes.

For his part, the coordinator of tribal affairs in the northern provinces, Iyad Issa al-Omla, also rejected the statements made by Netanyahu, stressing that such remarks aim to separate the Gaza Strip from the motherland and liquidate the entire Palestinian issue.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA