By The newspaper
01 Nov 2023, 23:07 PM EDT
In a recent speech, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh condemned Israel for what he called “barbaric massacres” against unarmed civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to an Al Jazeera report, Haniyeh accused Israel of using these actions to hide its own “defeats” and issued a stark warning about the impact of the Israeli attack on both Palestinian residents and hostages held captive in Gaza.
The current conflict began when Israel launched an attack on Gaza on October 7, following a devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel, which claimed the lives of at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli officials.
This continued Israeli bombardment of Gaza has led to the tragic loss of at least 8,796 lives, including 3,648 children, Palestinian authorities reported.
Haniyeh emphasized that Hamas had previously warned Israel’s “fascist government” about its controversial policies, including settlement expansion in the West Bank and attacks on Islamic holy sites such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He asserted that regional unrest would persist until Palestinians achieve their “legitimate rights to freedom, independence and return.”
Attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp
The Hamas accusations came after Israeli forces attacked the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza for two consecutive days, killing dozens, according to Palestinian officials.
The day before, more than 50 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on this densely populated neighborhood, and Hamas claimed that the victims included seven Israeli hostages, three of whom had foreign passports.
Hamas’ military wing has previously reported that “nearly 50” hostages were killed in previous Israeli airstrikes on the besieged territory.
Israel confirmed its attack on the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza’s largest, saying Tuesday’s airstrike had killed senior Hamas member Ibrahim Biari along with several other “terrorists.” Biari was held responsible for orchestrating the October 7 attack.
International concern and calls to action
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern about the devastating impact of the Israeli attack on children in Gaza, with more than 420 children killed or injured daily. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell urged the world to recognize the seriousness of the situation.
Haniyeh also called for an end to the bloodshed and implored the international community to continue supporting the Palestinian cause and putting pressure on policymakers. He accused Israel and its ally, the United States, of obstructing mediation efforts.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently rejected such calls, arguing that they would amount to “surrendering” to Hamas. The main Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have not called for a ceasefire.
Notably, the United States and Israel were among 14 countries out of 193 UN members that voted “no” to a General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce, while 120 countries voted “yes” and 45 abstained.
Keep reading:
· Israeli soldiers managed to enter the Gaza Strip under the cover of bombings, but avoid calling it an “invasion”
· Netanyahu rejects calls for a ceasefire: “It would mean surrendering to Hamas”
· Israeli Army advances in the “phases of the war” and still has soldiers inside Gaza