Mohammad Sio
17 April 2026•Update: 17 April 2026
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said Friday that Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is ongoing, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions and calling for immediate international action.
Speaking during a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, Aghabekian said the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic months after a ceasefire agreement.
“Today we are five months after the signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, and what we see in Gaza is nothing but disaster,” she said. “Killing continues, injuries continue, and humanitarian assistance is to the extent that it is needed.”
She described severe living conditions, with displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents exposed to flooding and unsanitary conditions.
“People are living in tents being flooded with water,” she said, adding that reports from international organizations indicate residents are surrounded by rubble and waste, with food supplies contaminated by rodents.
Aghabekian questioned the pace of the humanitarian response, asking: “When will immediate relief efforts start in Gaza? When will humanitarian assistance enter, and when will we start seeing essential needs such as health care, education, and water being delivered?”
She said the current situation is the result of years of Israeli assaults.
“This genocide was the culmination of many years of (Israeli) violations that brought us to where we are,” she added.
Her remarks come amid daily Israeli violations of the ceasefire in effect since Oct. 10, 2025. The Health Ministry said those violations have killed 765 Palestinians and wounded 2,140 others so far.
The ceasefire followed two years of Israeli genocide that began in October 2023, which has killed more than 72,340 Palestinians and wounded 172,250 others while destroying about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure, according to Gaza authorities.
