Qatar and the United States are currently working on establishing a safe humanitarian corridor in and out of Gaza as Israel continues to pummel the besieged Palestinian city.
Qatar said it categorically rejects attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in a statement on Saturday, as thousands of Gazans were forced to flee the north of the besieged enclave following orders by Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement declared its “categorical rejection of attempts to forcibly displace the brotherly Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip,” calling out such actions as not only inhumane but also a violation of international laws.
The ministry further warned that policies of collective punishment, particularly those targeting the vulnerable population of the northern Gaza Strip, are not only illegal but also serve to “exacerbate the effects of the ongoing confrontations in the Occupied Palestinian territories and aggravate the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
It also called on the international community to act immediately in opening humanitarian corridors to allow the swift delivery of much-needed medical and food aid into Gaza, as well as facilitate the evacuation of injured civilians.
The ministry insisted that a lasting and sustainable peace in the region is unattainable unless it is rooted in justice for the Palestinian people. It also said the only guarantee for such peace is “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
Israel launched its largest ever bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip on Saturday and has since levelled entire neighbourhoods in the besieged enclave, where more than 2 million Palestinians live in one of the world’s most densely populated areas.
On Monday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a complete siege on Gaza while describing Palestinians in the Strip as “human animals”.
“I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” Gallant said during the announcement.
The statement on Saturday came after Israel gave more than 1 million Palestinians residents in northern Gaza just 24 hours to relocate southwards, indicating that they may not be permitted to return and stoking concerns of a “Second Nakba” among the Palestinian community.
Despite the evacuation order, Israel bombed cars, buses and trucks that were carrying Palestinians travelling south. At least 2,215 Palestinians, including 724 children, have been killed and 8,714 others wounded, the health ministry in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Saturday.
On Friday, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using white phosphorous in its operations in Gaza.
The organisation said the use of this substance has a “significant incendiary effect” and puts civilians at unnecessary risk, thereby violating international humanitarian law.
Separately, Qatar and the United States confirmed they are working on establishing a safe humanitarian corridor in and out of Gaza as Israel continued to pummel the besieged Palestinian city for the seventh day.
In a joint press briefing between Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Amiri Diwan, the Qatari official stressed that Doha’s priorities “within the diplomatic approach is to seek a ceasefire, protect the civilians, release the captives.”