• Fatooh welcomes UK, French recognition of state of Palestine, urges other countries to follow their example

GENEVA

The speaker of the Palestinian National Council on Wednesday strongly criticized the Israeli aid mechanism, the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), for failing to protect civilians during aid distribution, accusing the initiative of turning into "execution sites" for ongoing Israeli attacks.

Speaking at a press briefing at the UN offices in Geneva, Rawhi Fatooh responded to a question from Anadolu, saying the group “has set up several locations in the Gaza Strip to provide our people with supplies and food aid, but unfortunately, these have become death traps and execution sites."

"Every day, we lose dozens of Palestinian martyrs and hundreds of wounded who go to American-backed food distribution centers and are killed by the Israeli army surrounding these sites, and sometimes by the American guards stationed there," Fatooh said.

He urged the UN and its agencies to step in and assume control of aid distribution. "We hope that the United Nations agencies, especially UNRWA (UN agency for Palestinian refugees), which has 36 years of experience, will distribute these materials to our people and fulfill the will of our people.”

He said the Palestinian leadership had objected to the Israeli- and US-backed group’s involvement from the beginning: "From the outset, we have demanded that this institution (GHF) not be granted access, because it has become a death trap, a place of death, an execution site for our Palestinian people.”

"The Gaza institution has failed in its humanitarian mission," he said, referring to the group, which has drawn controversy with more than 1,000 aid-seeking Palestinians killed during its aid distribution since May.

He also called for the International Red Cross to take over medical responsibilities in Gaza “in cooperation with the Palestinian Red Crescent."

If the situation in the besieged strip does not change immediately, he warned that "it is a matter of days before we have to hear a mass number of casualties in Gaza due to the Israeli military starvation."

Recognition of Palestinian state by UK, France 'step in right direction'

Taking another question from Anadolu, Fatooh also welcomed the recent decision by the UK and France to recognize the state of Palestine, calling it a long-overdue and essential move for peace.

"France and Britain's recognition (decision) of the state of Palestine, we say that this is a step in the right direction and must be done," he said.

Rejecting claims that such recognition rewards the Palestinian group Hamas, Fatooh emphasized: "Anyone who claims that the recognition of the state of Palestine is a reward for Hamas is contrary to the truth. Recognition of the state of Palestine is indeed a reward for peace in the Middle East, not a reward for Hamas."

He called on the rest of the international community to follow suit: "We call on all countries that have not recognized the state of Palestine to join in recognizing it, so that we can achieve peace in the Middle East."

"Peace in the Middle East, which will be reflected in the entire international community, will not be achieved except through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he added.

Call for 'active, unified' parliamentary stand

As the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is taking place in Geneva, Fatooh urged all parliamentarians to take "an active and unified parliamentary stand in support of our people -- Christians and Muslims alike -- who are facing malnutrition and despair.

"We respectfully urge your parliaments to pass emergency legislation or initiate a one-time humanitarian gesture, whereby each member state donates the equivalent of: the cost of a basic meal, a single bottle of water, a box of essential medicine or a pack of infant formula to alleviate the suffering of those who are perishing from hunger, illness and neglect," he said.

He also stressed that the people of Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem are calling on the states to intervene in the name of "conscience and human dignity."

According to the latest data from the Health Ministry, the death toll from starvation in Gaza since October 2023 reached 154, including 89 children.

Palestinian officials say that a minimum of 500 aid trucks are needed per day to meet the needs of the territory’s 2.4 million population.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 60,000 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.