Maureen Okpe
The continuous mis-treatment and torture of the Palestinians increases daily as the residents suffer for basic amenities like water, food, electricity and health care.
This was the position of the Ambassador of the Embassy of the State of Palestine, Abdullah Abu Shawesh during a press conference in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambassador Shawesh decried the devastating effect the humanitarian aid blockage has created, highlighting the dire situation Palestinians suffer following the ravaging effects of the Israeli war on Gaza.
He disclosed that, 7,160 families have been bombed, and 1,410 have been wiped out entirely, stressing Israel’s bombing of residential buildings occupied by uninvolved families is nothing new.
According to the statement issued by the Ambassador at the briefing, the UN and partners estimated that at least US$6.6 billion is required to address the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
He said, “Humanitarian aid to northern Gaza has largely been blocked for the past 66 day…. That has left between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians without access to food, water, electricity or health car.”
He further noted that, Israel has begun funding a coordinated global disinformation campaign as a new phase in its war against the UN in general and UNRWA in particular, using billboards and Google ads describing it as a terrorist organization.
“It is reported that Israel killed 251 UNRWA employees in its war on Gaza. Two-thirds of UNRWA buildings in Gaza have been hit, many directly and multiple times.
“According to the report prepared by Haaretz the Israel newspaper “Entire Families Were Crushed in Gaza by Israeli Airstrikes.
“Not Even Memories Remain in some strikes, as many as four generations in the same family have been killed as residential buildings get bombed. Including many small children. For some families, there is absolutely nothing left to tell their story.”
Citing the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Shawesh said, “Palestinian detainees as are human shields, forcing them to warn hospital staff that all displaced persons and companions of patients must leave the premises and head to areas controlled by Israeli forces.
“Many were arrested upon arrival…… The Israeli occupation army burned displaced people alive … in the southern Gaza Strip after directly targeting their displacement tents, killing 22 Palestinians, half of whom were women and children. An additional 18 people suffered burn wounds during the attack.”
He also lamented that, Palestinian prisoners are subjected to unbearable Israeli methods of oppression and torture aimed at killing them, and at best ensuring that they suffer from many diseases for life even after they leave prison.
He said, the Israeli occupation has also deprived them of their basic rights to food, medical treatment, proper clothing and many other necessities of life, which has led to the martyrdom of 47 prisoners, bringing the total number to 284 since 1967.
