‘End this nightmare,’ says UN aid chief
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s chief of emergency humanitarian relief, says Israel’s war on Gaza has been “a tragedy beyond words”.
“At a time when the people of Gaza are staring down famine; when hospitals are attacked and invaded; when aid organizations are blocked from reaching people in need; when civilians are under bombardment from north to south; it is more critical than ever to heed the calls made over the last seven months:
“Release the hostages. Agree a ceasefire. End this nightmare.”
There has been nothing limited about the suffering that Israel's military operation in Rafah has caused.
With today's adoption of Security Council resolution 2730 and the @CIJ_ICJ's order, this is a moment of clarity.
Release the hostages. Agree a ceasefire. End this nightmare. pic.twitter.com/kbwIcrgujs
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) May 24, 2024
Senior Israeli officials say ‘war goals’ in Rafah will continue despite ICJ order
The Israeli consensus amongst ministers, as well as the prime minister, is that the ICJ is anti-Semitic and that they will continue with their war goals.
They will continue, as they have said many times, to eliminate Hamas from the whole of the Gaza Strip and retrieve those who are still held captive. There are 125 captives still in the Gaza Strip.
Benny Gantz, the war cabinet member, said that Israel is committed to continue the ‘just and necessary war’ as well as returning those held captive.
The far-right ministers, such as the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, added that the only answer to this is to invade and occupy Rafah. Bezalel Smotrich, that’s the finance minister, was the first to respond to the ICJ order, and he said that this is going not just against Israel but also against the Jewish people.
Israel will be concerned even though they have the US as an ally to back them up. The international consensus is that Israel needs to stop this war.
