Israeli delegation faces massive walk out during speech at IPU
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According to media reports, the Palestinian delegation spearheaded the walkout.
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Screengrab from the Israeli MP Dan Illouz speaking at the IPU amid a walkout (Mehr)
The Israeli delegation at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) experienced a significant walkout during its speech on Monday.
Many participants at the IPU Assembly chanted "Free Palestine" and left the room just before Israeli MP Dan Illouz was set to speak.
According to media reports, the Palestinian delegation spearheaded the walkout.
"We are preparing for many tough battles, as the Palestinian delegation, with the support of various Arab and Muslim policies, will do everything in their power to push for decisions harmful to Israel, utilizing manipulations with delegations from around the world and 'surprises' for the Israeli delegation."
Likud MK Dan Illouz and fellow Likud MK Tsega Melaku and Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern were part of the delegation.
According to media reports, other anti-"Israel" initiatives included calls for downgrading "Israel's" standing within the IPU and adopting the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling on Israeli policies in the occupied territories.
Conditions in Gaza akin to the 'depths of hell': Save the Children
This comes as the international organization Save the Children has described the situation in Gaza as equivalent to the "depths of hell," calling the attack against the besieged area a "war on children" since no one is safe.
The organization's Middle East regional director Jeremy Stoner expressed Monday that "what we're seeing now in Gaza looks like the depths of hell, with reports of attacks on children and families day after day."
"Nowhere is safe," he added in his statement.
The British NGO issued a dire warning about the worsening situation in Gaza, citing that "evacuation orders" might soon become "execution orders" as children suffer a serious lack of life-saving necessities.
Stoner also touched on the grave humanitarian disaster in Gaza, detailing how in the north, Palestinians had been without food for two weeks and stuck in a deadly zone attempting to flee incessant bombardment and shelling.
In the south, where many families have taken refuge, Israeli airstrikes engulfed Al-Aqsa Hospital and tents in flames with some footage and reports uncovering remains of burned Palestinians.
Stoner also emphasized the necessity for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stating that the lack of one means that immunizations for children only postpone rather than eliminate their suffering.
He warned that if no global action was taken, families in Gaza, particularly children, "face a death sentence- today, tomorrow, in a week, in a month, by bombs, bullets, fire, disease or starvation. Anywhere, any time."
Stoner expressed further worries about humanity's moral compass, noting that those with the authority and legal obligation to address this violence choose to remain passive. He lamented that some states have instead provided weapons that are being used to kill children and incinerate patients and families in hospitals and makeshift shelters.
“Gaza is what can happen without the rules of war. Except there are rules – for parties to the conflict, and for the international community – which are not being respected,” Save the Children noted.
