More than 9,488 Palestinians including 3,826 children have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Qatar’s top official has called out Israel for committing “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians as it continues to unleash relentless force in the Gaza Strip.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani made the comments in a joint press conference with France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna at the Amiri Diwan in Doha.
Speaking to the press, Sheikh Mohammed stressed that Israel is currently “committing genocide” and ethnic cleansing in Gaza”, where more than 9,488 Palestinians including 3,826 children have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
“Every day, the occupation engages in genocidal practices and crimes of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, not to mention the indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, schools, refugee camps and other civilian facilities in which the displaced, women, children and the elderly have taken shelter,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
He added: “When we hear to the justifications of the occupation forces, it mentions that there is suspicion of the presence of a [resistance leader], and the cost of assassinating or targeting this leader exceeds 400 people in a neighbourhood, and we find that the international reactions, unfortunately, are not at the required level and may sometimes be shameful.”
The IOF has been using its goal to “wipe Hamas from the face of earth” as the pretext for its war on Gaza despite largely killing civilians and displacing more than one million. The occupying state has mainly targeted schools, hospitals and refugee camps, claiming that Hamas fighters were hiding in the structures.
On Saturday, the Zionist regime targeted the Al Fakhoora School in northern Gaza, in which at least 15 Palestinian civilians, including children, were killed. This came within 24 hours after Israel carried out new massacres at three hospitals and a United Nations-run school, all of which are sheltering thousands of Palestinians.
Since the start of the war, Qatar has played a crucial mediation role in hopes of releasing civilian captives held by Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 ‘Operation Al Aqsa Flood’.
Qatar’s mediation has so far led to the release of four captives, though escalations on the ground have complicated efforts in releasing the others. Hamas said it has around 230 captives, out of which around 50 have been killed by the Israeli bombardment.
Speaking alongside Sheikh Mohammed, Colonna praised the Gulf state’s diplomatic efforts in releasing captives held by Hamas and said Paris “depends on the state of Qatar to help in these dangerous moments”.
Colonna told the press that France is also working to “achieve security for Israel and a state for the Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, France has come under fire after French politicians submitted a bill aimed at “penalising anti-Zionism” and cracking down on pro-Palestine protests. Despite this, thousands took to the streets of France in protest against the Israeli regime’s onslaught in Gaza, joining other such protests in the west, including Washington DC.
