Kuwait and Arab League denounce blitz on Gaza

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced in the strongest terms the deadly air attacks launched by the Zionist occupation forces yesterday against Gaza Strip in Palestine. “The brutal attacks that left scores of casualties were a continuation of a chain of crimes being perpetrated by the occupation forces in a blatant violation of the …

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KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced in the strongest terms the deadly air attacks launched by the Zionist occupation forces yesterday against Gaza Strip in Palestine. “The brutal attacks that left scores of casualties were a continuation of a chain of crimes being perpetrated by the occupation forces in a blatant violation of the rules of international laws and international legitimacy,” the Ministry stressed in a statement on Saturday.

It urged the international community to shoulder their responsibilities, respond urgently to the Zionist aggressions, and ensure respect by the occupation authorities for the rules of the UN Charter, the international law and legitimacy. The Ministry reiterated the call for provision of international protection for the Palestinian people, expressing sincere condolences to the families of the Palestinian martyrs and wishing the wounded a quick recovery.

Meanwhile, Arab League strongly condemns Zionists “vicious” aggression in Gaza, which represent a continuous of war by the occupation against Palestinians. In a press statement, the League’s General Secretariat held the occupation authorities fully responsible for this aggression and its repercussions and for the heinous bloody crimes that the occupation army continues to commit.

The League noted that these crimes require accountability before the international justice bodies, calling on the international community, especially the Security Council and human rights organizations, to take immediate and effective action to stop this aggression and provide an international protection system for the Palestinian people by implementing the relevant UN resolutions.

Zionists hit Gaza with deadly air strikes on Saturday and a Palestinian militant group retaliated with a barrage of rocket fire, in the territory’s worst escalation of violence since a war last year. Zionist entity has said it was forced to launch a “pre-emptive” operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the Gaza border. Health authorities in Gaza, a Palestinian enclave controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, said a five-year-old girl was among 12 people killed by the bombardment. More than 80 others have been wounded.

The Zionist military warned Saturday it was “preparing for the operation to last a week,” while the sole power station in Gaza ground to a halt due to a lack of fuel after Zionists closed border crossings. Zionists and Islamic Jihad have both confirmed the killing of Taysir Al-Jabari, a key leader of Islamic Jihad, in a Friday strike on a building in the west of Gaza city. Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, but often acts independently. It said the initial bombardment amounted to a “declaration of war” and unleashed a barrage of rockets towards Zionist entity.

Sources within the militant group ruled out a ceasefire soon, with one saying: “for the movement the focus is on the battlefield,” while a military spokesman told AFP that the army is “not currently holding ceasefire negotiations”. The rocket fire and airstrikes were continuing on Saturday, risking a repeat of an 11-day conflict in May 2021 that devastated Gaza and forced countless Zionists to rush to bomb shelters. Daily life in the Palestinian enclave has come to a standstill, with streets largely deserted and most shops closed.

‘Will not shy away’

The closure of a key goods crossing four days ago resulted in Gaza’s power plant shutting down on Saturday, due to a “fuel shortage,” a spokesman for the enclave’s electricity distributor said. Diesel for the plant is usually trucked in from Egypt or Zionist entity, which closed its two border crossings with Gaza on Tuesday citing security concerns.

“Zionist entity isn’t interested in a wider conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a nationally televised address on Friday. Air raid sirens sounded across the south on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Officials in border areas urged people to stay close to shelters, which have also been opened in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Hamas has fought four wars with Zionists since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are considered terrorist organizations by much of the West. A flare up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, following the killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari’s predecessor. Hamas did not join the fray in that episode. Hamas’s moves now could prove crucial, with the group facing pressure from some to restore calm in order to improve economic conditions in Gaza.

Five-year-old girl

Mohammed Abu Salameh, the director of Shifa, Gaza City’s main hospital, said medics are facing “acute shortages of medical supplies”. On Friday, the health ministry reported “a five-year-old girl, targeted by the occupation” was among those killed. The girl, Alaa Kaddum, had a pink bow in her hair and a wound on her forehead, as her body was carried by her father at her funeral. Zionist military spokesman Richard Hecht said Friday “we are assuming about 15 killed in action” in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants. Zionist tanks were lined up along the border, after the military said Thursday it was reinforcing its troops.

The measures followed the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, including Bassem Al-Saadi, who Zionists accuse of orchestrating recent attacks. Zionists on Saturday broadened its operation against Islamic Jihad, announcing the arrest of 19 people it said were members of the group in the occupied West Bank. Zionist entity has conducted a near relentless wave of often deadly raids inside the West Bank since mid-March in response to lethal attacks. – Agencies

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