14 May 2021 6:55 PM
Press Release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“Israel” destroys complete residential areas
14-05-2021; 06:30 PM
Last night, Thursday, May 13, 2021, “Israel” waged a massive wave of aerial, naval, and artillery bombing against residential areas in northern Gaza Strip, which caused dozens of casualties and immense destruction, not to mention the state of panic and fear among women and children.
Also, occupation artillery indiscriminately targeted the Bedouin village of “Om Al-Nasir” in northern Gaza Strip, which caused casualties among civilians and journalists and prevented medical staff from reaching them for very long hours.
“Israel” also pursued its policy of targeting residential homes, and destroyed a number of houses while its residents are still inside, killing a number of women and children, without any regard to international conventions or even the most basic of human values.
Even the dead did not survive this barbaric aggression, as “Israel” bombed a graveyard this morning, destroying dozens of graves.
Until the writing of this statement, 122 people were killed, including 31 children and 20 women, while more than 830 people were wounded in the ongoing “Israeli” attacks.
This barbaric aggression has caused many people to leave their homes, their belongings, and their dear memories to look for a safe place from the machine of death and destruction.
Painfully, this state of displacement coincides with the 73rd anniversary of the Palestinian catastrophe, when Palestinians were driven out of their ancestral lands by Zionist gangs. 73 years, the same murderer, the same victim, and the international community is still silent and complicit.
In the light of this ongoing aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the following:
First, we call the international community to abandon its policy of equality between the murderer and the victim. International condemnations of Palestinians’ acts of self-defense, and the silence over “Israel” crimes are no longer acceptable.
Second, after 73 years of the Palestinian catastrophe, the time has come to put an end to the suffering of our people, and establish an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Third, the current state of escalation in the Gaza Strip is a direct result of the ongoing “Israeli” provocations in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and a culmination of 15 years of the siege imposed on Gaza. Therefore, if the international community is serious about ending this escalation, it should start first with resolving its causes.
Fourth, the Palestinian people have the ultimate right to self-defense in the face of this barbaric aggression, a right granted by all religions, laws, and international conventions. No one should blame the Palestinians for exercising this right.
Fifth, we call Arab and Islamic countries to cut off their diplomatic relations with “Israel” immediately and step up their protest in international forums.
Sixth, we commend the protests of our people in Jerusalem, 1948 lands, West Band, and diaspora, and call them to continue their demonstrations until the end of this aggression.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Gaza, Palestine
