Gaza: Inaction by international community ‘shameful’, condemns Emir Al-Thani of Qatar

One of the main actors in the conflict is providing support to the people of Gaza. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday called the inaction of the international community in the face of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip “shameful.”

“It is disgraceful for the international community to allow this heinous crime to continue for almost two months with the systematic and deliberate massacre of innocent civilians, including women and children,” he said at the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha.

Qatar, which played a major role in the truce agreement that expired on Friday, is “continuing mediation efforts (…) that have led to the release of a number” of Palestinian prisoners and people held hostage in the Gaza Strip following the Gaza kidnapping. The Israeli side, as well as the “arrival of emergency humanitarian aid” in the Gaza Strip, the emir said.

Qatar is seeking to extend the agreement to “relieve the suffering” of the Palestinians, but “a truce is not an alternative to a comprehensive ceasefire,” he added. The leader of the wealthy Gulf state called on the UN Security Council to “take responsibility” to end the war and “press Israel to return to credible negotiations to achieve a just solution” to the conflict.

He also called for an international investigation into the “mass killings” committed by Israel in Palestinian territory. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani addressed, in particular, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the President of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the President of Turkey, the guest of honor at the summit. In his speech, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” which he said “must not go unanswered.”

Resumption of bombing of the Gaza Strip

Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip has resumed with a vengeance after a truce broke down on Friday. According to the Hamas Health Ministry, at least 15,899 people have been killed since October 7, including many women and children. That day, Hamas commandos entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and carried out an unprecedented attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to authorities.

In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and vowed to destroy the Islamist movement, which has held power in the Gaza Strip since 2007. In its final declaration, the GCC expressed “deep concern” about the situation in Gaza and called “immediately” for a new truce. with the goal of “achieving a complete and lasting ceasefire.”