Calls for ceasefire intensify as aid trickles in

CAIRO, Oct 21, (Agencies): Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said that Kuwait was deeply affected by the Israeli occupation forces killing of the innocent in the Gaza Strip. In his speech to the Cairo Summit for Peace, Saturday, His Highness said that the continuous air raids killed thousands of men, women, and children and cut off electricity, water, food, and fuel, while also imposing forced displacement of the people of the Gaza Strip. This humanitarian crisis is caused by the lack of efforts by the international community to resolve the issue and bring violence to an end, said His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad, adding that the international community has double standards when it comes to dealing with the Israeli occupation force’s violations.

He renewed Kuwait’s condemnation of Israel’s war crimes, calling on the international community to take serious action to immediately end the attacks and protect civilians. His Highness also called for opening safe passages to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Meanwhile, His Highness the Crown Prince affirmed Kuwait’s refusal to any attempts of forced displacement, or putting more pressure on neighboring countries to deal with the impact of this displacement. He noted that Kuwait and its people would continue to support Palestinians and their rights of an independent country, with the borderlines of the June 1967 agreement.

His Highness added that peace is the only solution for the crisis, underlining the need to commit to the terms of international laws and conventions related to the issue, as well as the Arab Peace Initiative. Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday called for an immediate end to the war on Gaza and to protect civilians, describing the relentless bombing campaign as a war crime, a collective punishment of a besieged and helpless people, and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. This came during his speech during the Cairo Summit for Peace, hosted by Egypt as part of efforts to stop the war on Gaza, with the participation of world leaders and heads of Arab and international delegations. “The bloodshed we are witnessing today is the price of failing to make tangible progress towards a political horizon that brings peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” the King said, adding “This conflict did not start two weeks ago, and it will not stop if we continue down this blood path”.

He said that the deeper the crisis cuts of cruelty, the less the world seems to care, noting that “the only path to a safe and secure future for the people of the Middle East and the entire world starts with the belief that every human life is of equal value and it ends with two states, Palestine and Israel, sharing land and peace from the river to the sea”. The Israeli leadership must realize that there is no military solution to its security concerns that it cannot continue to sideline the five million Palestinians living under its occupation, and that “a state can never thrive if it is built on the foundations of injustice”, he added.

The King reaffirmed the unequivocal rejection of the forced displacement or internal displacement of Palestinians, describing it as a war crime according to international law, “and a red line for all of us”. He stressed the need for sustained and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, fuel, food, and medicine to the Gaza Strip. The King noted that it has been two weeks since the siege on Gaza amidst international silence and warned that this catastrophe must come to an end, adding “Our collective and unified message to the Israeli people should be: We want a future of peace and security for you and for the Palestinians, where your children and Palestinian children should no longer live in fear.” “It is our duty as the international community to do whatever it takes to restart a meaningful political process that can take us to a just and sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution”, he concluded.

On his part, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa stressed in his speech, during the summit, that the suffering of Palestinians underlines the urgent need to contain the crisis, calling for stopping the military escalation and providing protection for civilians on both sides King Hamad said that there will be no stability in the Middle East without securing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and achieving just comprehensive and sustainable peace in the region. He confirmed Bahrain’s firm position in support of the legitimate rights of Palestinian people to establish their independent sovereign state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution and UN resolutions. Bahrain has made its strategic choice for peace to achieve greater security and stability in its call for the peaceful approach as the only way to settle disputes and provide opportunities for security, development, and prosperity for the region, said King Hamad. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Saturday stressed the necessity of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons.

Speaking at the Cairo Summit for Peace, Guterres said while focusing on ending the bloodshed, a two-state solution must not be ignored as it is the only real basis for peace and stability. He said that the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long, but nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorized Israeli civilians. At the same time, these abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. He elaborated that he observed a humanitarian disaster during his visit to Rafah crossing the border yesterday. Guterres noted that hundreds of trucks “teeming with food and other essential supplies” were on the Egyptian side while across the border, two million people were going without water, food, fuel, electricity, and medicine.

The people of Gaza need constant humanitarian to meet their needs, he said, stressing that the UN should work constantly with all parties to achieve this goal. He stressed that the near-term goals must be clear, repeating his call for immediate, unrestricted, and sustained humanitarian aid to Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas, and a humanitarian ceasefire now. The UN chief called for respecting international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, and protecting civilians and not targeting hospitals, schools, and the UN premises that are currently sheltering half a million people. He also called for the immediate and unconditioned release of all hostages and made sincere, urgent efforts to prevent the spread of violence. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that peace and security can be achieved only by implementing the two-state solution and resolving the refugee issue based on United Nations Resolution 194.

This came during his speech before the Cairo Peace Summit that kicked started Saturday in Cairo. Abbas said that the meeting being held today in extremely difficult and cruel circumstances, as the defenseless Palestinian people face brutal and barbaric aggression by the Israeli war machine, which violates prohibitions and international humanitarian law by targeting thousands of civilians. The President condemned Israel’s “barbaric aggression” on the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate halt to the aggression and opening humanitarian corridors to allow food, medicine, and other necessities into the besieged Gaza Strip, warning against attempts to displace the Palestinian people in Gaza out of it, and against the continuation of occupation forces’ attacks against defenseless civilians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and attacks by extremist groups on Islamic and Christian sanctities. Abbas stated, “We have called from day one to stop this barbaric aggression immediately, to open humanitarian corridors to bring in relief and medical supplies, and to provide water and electricity, but the Israeli occupation government did not allow this.”

He called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people, for the State of Palestine to gain full membership, for the rest of the world to recognize the State of Palestine, and to convene an international peace conference under international sponsorship to achieve the desired goal of peace. Elsewhere, the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday to let a trickle of desperately needed aid into the besieged Palestinian territory for the first time since Israel sealed it off in the wake of Hamas’ bloody rampage two weeks ago. Just 20 trucks were allowed in, an amount that aid workers said was insufficient to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid have been positioned near the crossing for days. Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes, are rationing food and drinking dirty water. Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout. Israel is still launching waves of airstrikes across Gaza that have destroyed entire neighborhoods, as Palestinian militants fire rocket barrages into Israel.

The opening came after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Israel had insisted that nothing would enter Gaza until Hamas released all of the captives from its attack, and the Palestinian side of the crossing had been shut down by Israeli airstrikes. “The situation is catastrophic in Gaza,” the head of the U.N.’s World Food Program, Cindy McCain, told The Associated Press. “We need many, many, many more trucks and a continual flow of aid,” she said, adding that some 400 trucks were entering Gaza daily before the war.

The Hamas-run government in Gaza also said the limited convoy “will not be able to change the humanitarian catastrophe,” calling for a secure corridor operating around the clock. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is under control.” He said the aid would be delivered only to southern Gaza, where the army has ordered people to relocate, adding that no fuel would enter the territory. Guterres meanwhile gave voice to growing international concern over civilians in Gaza, telling a summit in Cairo that Hamas’ “reprehensible assault” on Israel two weeks ago “can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”