Burak Bir
13 September 2024•Update: 13 September 2024
- Israel is acting with complete impunity. When journalists and activists are being killed and their only crime is for reporting or being part of a demonstration, then the world needs to stand up, speak up,' says Adnan Hussain
LONDON
Reacting to a recent Israeli attack on a "humanitarian safe zone" in Gaza that killed dozens of Palestinians, a newly-elected British lawmaker said that "this is a genocide," and the world must look into these crimes.
At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in the airstrike early Tuesday on a tent camp in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a "humanitarian safe zone" for displaced civilians in Gaza.
In an interview with Anadolu, Adnan Hussain, an independent member of parliament (MP) for Blackburn, recalled that the Israeli airstrike hit an area that was designated as a "safe zone" by Israel itself.
He noted that the attack needs to be investigated as a matter of urgency by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
"Israel must be stopped. Israel is acting with impunity. It must stop. The world must look into these crimes. This is a genocide, and nothing short of that," said Hussain.
South Africa initiated a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ last December, accusing Tel Aviv of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.
In response to a question about the killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by an Israeli sniper last Friday in the occupied West Bank, where she was demonstrating against illegal Israeli settlements, Hussain highlighted the "impunity" that Israel has enjoyed over its actions.
"Israel is acting with complete impunity when journalists and activists are being killed and their only crime is for reporting or being part of a demonstration."
He said "the world needs to stand up, speak up," adding prosecutions must take place as a matter of priority.
Eygi, 26, a dual Turkish-US national, was killed by Israeli forces during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the village of Beita near Nablus.
The Israeli army said Tuesday that it is “highly likely” that Eygi was “indirectly and unintentionally” hit by fire from its forces.
Eygi's family has expressed outrage over any suggestion that her death at the hands of an Israeli sniper was unintentional, reiterating their call for an independent investigation into the killing.
Asked about his demand from the government as a newly-elected MP, Hussain underlined that he is asking for the government "to heed and just do what the law requires. I'm asking for the rule of law and nothing more than that."
"It's a simple request of the government: do not be complicit in international war crimes. Do not be complicit in the killing, in the genocide of the people," he noted.
Hussain stressed that if the government "can't be the peacemakers," then he asks it "not to be fanning the flames of war."
"Let's not have any complicity with genocide, and that's what I'm asking the government," he added.
Israel has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 41,000 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and nearly 95,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
