The Gaza Strip Belongs to the Palestinian People, Not a Piece of Land to be Contested

JAKARTA - The Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, on Tuesday confirmed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and belongs to the Palestinian people.

"Gaza is not a piece of land hanging in the air for anyone to seize. It belongs to its people. It belongs to the Palestinian people," Mansour said at the opening session of the UN Committee on the Implementation of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as reported by Anadolu (4/2).

Furthermore, Mansour welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza and noted the cooperation of all parties involved, including the United States, but stressed that the ceasefire must be permanent.

Stressing that the ceasefire "must not be fragile," he said, "Israel must not continue to kill our people at their own will in the Gaza Strip and other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory."

On this occasion, Mansour also emphasized the importance of humanitarian access.

"Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach all parts of the Gaza Strip," and "humanitarian workers, including the United Nations, including UNRWA (the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency), must be allowed to continue to carry out their mandates and responsibilities."

"We want to see the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip," he said, welcoming the move towards the second phase of the ceasefire signed at the end of October.

Mansour also reiterated that the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza "are one territorial unit" that must be united under the Palestinian Authority, stressing "the need to withdraw completely and without delay from the Gaza Strip," calling it essential for any international stabilization efforts.