Yusuf Alioglu
16 May 2024•Update: 16 May 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, hailed a declaration Thursday by the Arab summit in Bahrain of "the unwavering Arab support for our people’s aspirations for liberation and independence.”
The group commended the summit's condemnation of “the Israeli aggression and attempts to displace our people through genocidal war and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
Hamas also urged Arab nations “to take the necessary actions to compel Israel to stop its aggression, withdraw its army completely from Gaza, including the Rafah crossing, lift the blockade, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and support reconstruction efforts.”
The annual Arab summit in Bahrain on Thursday demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and proposed an international peace conference in the Middle East.
The Israeli army launched a ground offensive on May 6 in Rafah, home to 1.5 million displaced Palestinians. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) estimates around 600,000 people have fled the city since the start of Israeli operations in early May.
Israel continued its brutal offensive on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.
More than 35,200 Palestinians have since been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and over 79,200 injured since early October following an attack by Hamas.
More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
