The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdallah Abu Shawesh, has called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Speaking at a world press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the envoy said what the Palestinian people of Gaza need urgently is an unconditional cessation of the fighting and not humanitarian aid.
His words, “Since Israel launched its war against the Palestinian people on October 7, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become unlivable, and 2.2 million Palestinians have become a laboratory to new types of invented weapons.
“The number of Palestinians killed as of today exceeds 8,700 in Gaza and 114 in the occupied West Bank. 73% of them are children, women and the elderly. The total number of injured in Gaza reached more than 20,000, while in the West Bank, it has reached 2,000. In Gaza, the missing people under the rubble are around 1,500.
“The attacks on the health sector reached more than 116 of the health rescue staff, and more than 100 are injured. 25 ambulances became out of service, and 25 require maintenance. One-third of the hospitals and 46 out of 72 of the primary health care in Gaza are out of service due to direct attacks or the lack of fuel. All the hospitals are under a daily threat, and they were requested to be evacuated many times.
“Thousands of kidney failure, cancer and other chronic diseases patients are in critical condition, and many of them will lose their lives due to the lack of the necessary medicines. Due to the lack of fresh water, hygiene and crowdedness, many infectious diseases started to erupt in crowded shelter centres, such as smallpox, scabies, and diarrhoea.
“Due to the Israeli attack, 150,000 housing units became uninhabitable, while 27,781 were levelled.
“1.4 million civilians were forcefully internally displaced from North to South Gaza. 660,000 thousands took shelter in the United Nations premises, mosques, churches, hospitals and at their relative’s homes.
“One of the goals of this war is to forcefully transfer the Palestinian people to the Sinai Peninsula, to implement the old Israeli dream, that we have been fighting against since 1956.
“Many are still trying to divert the discussion from the unconditional ceasefire to the humanitarian aid and how many trucks need to enter Gaza and many other logistical details. This is a trap to pave the way for the Israeli occupation to continue with their genocidal and war crimes.
“No one should be trapped, we all should address the roots of the current humanitarian crises in Gaza, which is the frenzy of Israeli war. What we need urgently is the ceasefire.”
The ambassador, who classified the current crisis in Gaza into physical war, media war and political war advocated a two-state solution as the only means of resolving the Israeli-Plaestinian conflict.
“Two-state solution is our only demand as Palestinians. The Israelis are the only ones putting a barrier to the implementation of a two-state solution based on the United Nations Resolution 181 of 1948. President Mahmoud Abbas will not cease to call for a two-state solution. This is not only our request but that of the international community.
“The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) accept to build our state on Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem. These are the occupied Palestinian territories according to the international law. It accounts for only 22% of our historical land. To do so, Israel should accept to withdraw from this historical land and withdraw the illegal Israeli settlements there,” he added.
