Western states call on 'Israel' to adhere to international law in Gaza
4 Min Read
The five-page letter comes as the Israeli occupation persists in its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 224th consecutive day.
-
Palestinian children walk next to rubble from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Friday, February 9, 2024. (AP)
A group of Western nations urged "Israel" to comply with international law and address the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to a letter sent to the Israeli government and obtained by Reuters on Friday.
All the G7 countries, except the United States, signed the letter, alongside Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
The five-page letter comes as the Israeli occupation persists in its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 224th consecutive day, committing massacres against civilians. This coincides with an escalation of Israeli operations in Rafah, located in the southern part of the Strip.
“In exerting its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law,” the letter said.
The Western nations expressed their opposition to "a full-scale military operation in Rafah" and called on "Israel" to let humanitarian aid reach the population "through all relevant crossing points, including the one in Rafah."
"According to UN estimates, an intensified military offensive would affect approximately 1.4 million people," the letter said.
The letter emphasized the necessity "for specific, concrete and measurable steps."
It urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to take additional actions, such as striving for a "sustainable ceasefire", facilitating additional "evacuations", and reinstating "electricity, water, and telecommunication services."
Read next: Truckers recount 'barbaric' settler attack on Gaza aid convoy
224 days of Israeli aggression: 35,303 killed, 79,261 injured in Gaza
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced in its daily report today that the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza due to the Israeli genocidal war ongoing since October 7 has now reached 35,303, in addition to 79,261 injured.
Additionally, it confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces committed four massacres in 24 hours only, killing 31 and injuring 56.
The Ministry stressed that thousands of victims are still under the rubble on the streets, as the occupation forces continue to deliberately prevent ambulances and civil defense crews from reaching them.
Ongoing genocide
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported on Friday that Israeli occupation forces continue to invade the Jabalia camp in the northern part of the Strip for the sixth consecutive day.
Our correspondent mentioned that continuous Israeli airstrikes have been targeting all areas of the camp since 2:00 am (local time), in addition to ongoing artillery shelling that has hit areas, west of the camp and in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
He also noted intense gunfire from occupation vehicles, which were expanding their incursion into the camp. The areas under Israeli fire have expanded to include the Qassasib neighborhood, the vicinity of the Falouja cemetery, and the end of al-Houja Street.
Our correspondent also pointed out that the advancing occupation vehicles at the entrance to Beit Hanoun continued to besiege several residents and already forcibly displaced people, preventing them from leaving the area.
Furthermore, "Israel" launched a series of raids early this morning and Thursday evening on various parts of the northern, central, and southern sectors of the Strip, coinciding with artillery shelling.
Earlier, four Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to local Palestinian media outlets.
Israeli warplanes targeted al-Jaouni School, which had been serving as a shelter for forcibly displaced people, resulting in the deaths of four people and injuries to others.
