Mahmoud Abbas accepts resignation of Shtayyeh government
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An official source pointed out that the resignation decision is a preemptive step taken by Abbas in the face of pressures faced by the Palestinian Authority (PA) from regional countries, Western countries, and the US.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, Jordan, on October 17, 2023 (AP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted the resignation of the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh's government and assigned the Prime Minister and his ministers as a caretaker government until a new one is formed, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA on Monday.
Shtayyeh had submit his resignation on Monday, and Abbas issued a decree of acceptance, assigning the government to work temporarily until the formation of a new government,
An official source pointed out that the resignation decision is a preemptive step taken by Abbas in the face of pressures faced by the Palestinian Authority (PA) from regional countries, the international community, and the United States.
According to the source, the decision allegedly aims to put the ball in these sides' court to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, secure international guarantees for the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, halt Israeli incursions into the occupied West Bank and lift the financial siege imposed on the Palestinian Authority.
The official source mentioned that the resignation is the first step toward forming a new government and will be followed by two other steps: stopping the war in the Gaza Strip and achieving a national consensus for all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
Achieving a national consensus, according to the informed source, is a step toward establishing a new government after the cessation of the war on Gaza without specifying the exact timing, as it is not possible to form any government while the Palestinian people in Gaza are living under bombardment.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had previously stated that he would not make a decision regarding the formation of a new government before the cessation of the war on the Gaza Strip, informing several Arab and Western countries that any internal step requires Palestinian consensus from all movements.
The source reiterated that the resignation decision comes as a message and aims to put pressure to stop the war in the Gaza Strip, as no government can function and no new government can be formed while the people in Gaza have been facing a genocidal war for more than 140 days.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of Palestinians martyred since October 7 has risen to 29,782, with 70,043 injured.
Furthermore, Israeli occupation forces committed 10 massacres in the past 24 hours, martyring 90 Palestinians and injuring 164 others.
Palestinian infants are dying due to malnutrition
Seven Palestinian infants died from malnutrition and starvation in 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, according to the Information Office in Gaza, Anadolu reported Sunday.
In a statement released on Saturday, the office warned of an impending catastrophe unless the Israeli genocide is ended and the blockade on Gaza is lifted.
The statement explicitly pointed the finger at the United States for the famine unfolding in Gaza.
In further detail, a two-month-old infant named Mahmoud Fattouh was one of the seven infants who died from malnutrition at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as per media accounts. This comes in the aftermath of the United Nations issuing a caution about a potential surge in child fatalities resulting from "Israel's" aggression on the blockaded enclave.
