Qatar slams Israeli strike of Qatari Red Crescent building in Gaza

DOHA, QATAR

Qatari Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the Israeli strike on the Qatari Red Crescent building in the besieged Gaza Strip in Palestine.

The targeting of humanitarian and media institutions is a clear violation of international law, against humanitarian norms and values, the ministry said in a statement.

“Qatar calls on the international community to condemn this sinful act and to exert further efforts to put an end to Israeli’s continuous crimes in the occupied territories, and to protect civilians, journalists, medical practitioners, and humanitarian workers,” the statement added.

Furthermore, Qatar affirmed its support for the just Palestinian cause and the people of Palestine.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 212, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday.

The grim figure includes 61 children, 35 women, and 16 elderly people, the ministry said in a statement, while 1,400 people have been injured during the offensive.

The Israeli military has staged airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since May 10, leaving behind a massive trail of destruction across the seaside territory.

Ten Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

• Writing by Ahmet Gencturk