The heavy casualty and global outrage that trailed the bombing, on Tuesday, of Gaza Hospital should reinforce the calls for cessation of the on-going Israel-Hamas conflict.
At least, 3,478 people have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel by Gaza’s Hamas rulers, which killed about 1, 400 in the country.
Instructively before Tuesday’s deadly explosion, President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar had called for immediate cessation of violence and the opening of humanitarian corridor for the delivery of food and medical supplies to Gaza.
“Enough damage, destruction and deaths have been done already and we wonder how many thousands of civilians have to die to assuage the cravings of the bloodthirsty gladiators,” Sultan rather said intuitively as hundreds of people were killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the heart of Gaza City, where thousands were sheltering from Israeli strikes which began on October 8 in retaliation to attack by Hamas on October 7.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Secretary-General, NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, he said, “the savagery of the assaults is heart-rending. The horrendous attacks on civilians are unfortunate and the Council calls for immediate cessation of hostilities against Gaza.”
He described the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas as a ring in a long chain of incidents that should have been addressed given that actions and reactions are always in a state of flux.
The statement reads further: “We should also remember that Israel staged the coup against the democratically elected Hamas in Palestine. When people are pushed to the wall, they fight back and that was what Hamas did. However, an all-out war and complete siege on two million defenseless people is atrocious, abhorrent and unjustified.
“The circumstances leading to the current escalation are well known to the discerning. It is because Israel has persistently failed to honour United Nations resolutions, implement the two-state solution of the Oslo Accord and guarantee Palestinians’ economic and political security.
“The Israelis have rather imposed a most abhorrent colonial policy on the besieged enclave. They have also continued to treat Palestinians as sub-humans and made Gaza the largest open air prison in the world under the ungodly false mantra that Palestine was a land without people and Israelis were people without land.
“There should be no double standards regarding the enthronement of sustainable peace. While it is desirable to toe the path of peace, peace without justice would only precipitate future crises. It is very sad that world leaders only pay lip service to peace but are unwilling to enthrone justice in the Israeli-Palestinian relations. Justice requires that oppressors be stopped and the oppressed comforted.
“The Council is disappointed that, in its usual dishonourable way, the United States has openly and shamelessly taken sides with Israel in spite of its brazen and incessant aggressions and massacre of the Palestinians for about eight decades now.
“The United States obviously has neither accorded sanctity to the life of the Palestinians, nor had it ever shown sincere support and commitment to the struggle and the natural quest for freedom that Palestinians are yearning for.
“It is, therefore, unfortunate that the United States has fallen short of the humane values of justice, freedom, security and protection of life that it always purportedly proclaims. As we all have blood flowing in our veins and share a common humanity, to pretend that the frustration of Palestinians and the silence of the world to their suffering and oppression will not lead to aggression is to stand logic on its head. Their mass humiliation has even been exacerbated by the hardline policy of the current Israeli government that sees them as animals.”
And unfortunately, the U.S. continued its unalloyed partiality on Wednesday as the country vetoed a United Nation (UN) Security Council resolution that would have fostered “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.
While 12 of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour of the Brazilian-led text, one (U.S.) voted against, and two (Russia, and United Kingdom) abstained.
A ‘no’ vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it. The body’s permanent members are China, France, Russian Federation, UK and the U.S.
Prior to the vote, two amendments proposed by Russia, calling for an immediate, durable and full ceasefire, and to stop attacks against civilians were rejected by the Security Council.
Russian Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said: “The time for diplomatic metaphors is long gone. Anyone who did not support Russia’s draft resolution on this issue bears responsibility for what happens. The current draft has no clear call for a ceasefire and will not help to stop the bloodshed.”
He said Russia’s amendments proposed a call to end indiscriminate attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza and the condemnation of the imposition of the blockade on the enclave; and adding a new point for a call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
“If these are not included in the current draft, it would not help to address the human situation in Gaza and polarize positions of the international community,” he said.
U.S. Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, explained her country’s veto in the Council chamber, saying “this resolution did not mention Israel’s right of self-defence. Israel has the inherent sight of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter. This right was reaffirmed by the Council in previous resolutions on terrorist attacks, and this resolution should have done the same.”
She said though the U.S. could not support the resolution, it will continue to work closely with all Council members on the crisis, “just as we will continue to reiterate the need to protect civilians, including members of the media, humanitarian workers, and UN officials.”
This call was reiterated by British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who failed to endorse cross-party calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, insisting that Israel has a “right to defend itself, to protect its people and to act against terrorism and ensure that the awful attack we’ve seen from Hamas cannot happen again.
“And unlike Hamas, the Israelis, including the president, have made it clear that their armed forces will operate in accordance with international law. And we will continue to urge the Israelis to take every precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
Sunak’s words came after more than 30 MPs supported calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities between both sides to prevent further loss of civilian life.
Indeed, the veto has aggravated the anti-Israel protests erupted in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Iran and Turkey after news of the hospital blast broke last Tuesday.
And in Nigeria, Muslim organisations have expressed sadness over Israel’s aggression in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Saddened by the recent attack, Conference of Islamic Organisations, The Muslim Congress (TMC), Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Lagos State Area Unit and Muslim Awareness International (MAI), expressed displeasure over the war, saying that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is a continuation of the injustice that has been ongoing for more than 70 years against Palestine on their soil.
The groups noted that it is more depressing that the international community has remained powerless in the face of the decades-long wicked oppression and repression by Israel, which has violated its rules and resolutions on several occasions, including the displacement of Palestine from their lands during times of war, which has been widely condemned as a form of ethnic cleansing.
Speaking during a press conference organised by the Conference of Islamic Organisations, the General Secretary of CIO, Lukman Balogun, said since Israel declared a full-blown war on Palestine, killing children, women, the aged and the vulnerable, the United Nations must find an alternative way of conducting a true peace process which takes into consideration the aspiration for a sovereign Palestinian state.
“Enough of the killings! We believe that the permanent solution to put an end to the war and ensure peace is justice. A ceasefire might be achieved sooner or later, but the two sides might still resort to war if justice isn’t served. How do we ensure justice is served? Israel should be prevailed upon to respect international laws, particularly the UN’s Resolution 242.”
As the search for peace continues, our hearts and prayers remain with the vulnerable as we join sympatishers across the world praying to the Almighty for succour.
“Then what is with you that you do not fight in the path of God, and for the utterly helpless among the men and the women and the children who say: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out of this city whose people are oppressive wrongdoers, godless in heart. And appoint for us, from Yourself, an invincible ally. And appoint for us, from Yourself, a mighty supporter.’” Q4V75.
Jumu’at Mubarak.
