Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
PALESTINIAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri has condemned Israel’s continued violations of ceasefire agreements in the Gaza Strip and an intensified military campaign in the occupied West Bank and accused the Israeli Government of undermining efforts to achieve lasting peace.
In a statement, Dr Almassri said Israeli forces had continued targeting various parts of Gaza despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure and uphold ceasefire arrangements.
He said the situation in the occupied West Bank had also deteriorated with increased home demolitions, settlement expansion and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities.
“These coordinated actions across Gaza and the West Bank lay bare the reality of Israeli policy,” Ambassador Almassri said.
“Israel has never been interested in a genuine peace process. Instead, its primary objective remains the violent entrenchment and consolidation of its colonial occupation over the State of Palestine.”
Ambassador Almassri said the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels and since the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023, the death toll had risen to 73 231 while 173 686 Palestinians have been injured.
He said women and children constituted the majority of those killed and injured and the figures were likely to increase as thousands of people were still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.
“The State of Palestine emphasises that these staggering figures remain incomplete,”Ambassador Almassri said.
“Thousands of additional victims remain trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed neighbourhoods, entirely inaccessible to ambulance, medical, and emergency rescue crews due to continuous bombardment and blockades.”
Ambassador Almassri urged the international community, the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take stronger action to ensure accountability under international law.
He called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent end to the genocide.
