PALESTINE AMBASSADOR BEMOANS GAZA BOMBING

By Vimbai Kamoyo

The Palestinian ambassador to Zimbabwe has castigated Israel for mass killings of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at a well-attended press conference, the diplomat, Tamer Almassri said over 4 000 of their people have been killed, and over 60 percent of those being women and children.

“For the last 13 days, the apartheid Zionist occupation state of Israel continues its wanton bombardment against our civilian people in Gaza, committing the most brutal crimes against children, women, journalists, medical personnel and United Nations humanitarian workers through targeting of homes, school, hospitals, mosques, cutting electricity, water, food and medicine from our people.

“This genocide is being committed under the full view of the international community which doesn’t blink an eye to stop this carnage that the Zionist Israel apartheid state is committing under the pretext of self-defense,” he said.

The ambassador said it was unfortunate that about a million were displaced due to Israeli bombardments.

There is a plan of a forcible displacement of our people in Gaza that is being executed right now by the Israeli apartheid occupation army with the approval of the American administration and other colonial powers,” he said.

“According to the UN, 1 million of the 2, 3 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza have been displaced and seeking refuge in open grounds, schools and hospitals bombarded again as Israel continues to target them as what happened in the Baptist hospital two days ago where 500 children were murdered and 800 injured.

An ongoing armed conflict between Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas and Israel began on 7 October this year with a coordinated surprise offensive on Israel. The attack began in the morning with a barrage of at least 3,000 rockets launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against Israel.

In parallel, some 2,500 Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier and massacred civilians in neighboring Israeli communities. 

At least 1,400 Israelis were killed, including 260 people at a music festival in Re’im. Unarmed civilian hostages and captured Israeli soldiers were taken to the Gaza Strip, including women and children. Israel began conducting retaliatory strikes before formally declaring war on Hamas a day later.