President Mahmoud Abbas: Palestinian People Face 'Ethnic Cleaning War' By Israel

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JAKARTA - Palestinians are facing a "ethnic cleansing war" after Israel launched a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday, December 31, local time.

"The Israel-led ethnic cleansing war will not kill our determination," Abbas said in a speech commemorating the 59th anniversary of the Palestinian revolution, reported by Antara.

"We will remain steadfast in our homeland and continue to fight until we achieve victory and independence," he added.

The Palestinian leader stressed the West Bank and Gaza Strip "is a geographic unit that cannot be separated."

Abbas called for Israel's war on the Gaza Strip to end immediately and accelerated the delivery of humanitarian aid to the surrounded Palestinian pocket.

"The only solution is to find a political solution based on international legitimacy resolutions by holding an international peace conference that ends Israel's occupation throughout the Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the repatriation of refugees in accordance with UN 194 Resolutions," Abbas said.

Israel has attacked Gaza Strip from the air and land since Hamas attacked it on October 7.

The attack killed at least 21,882 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 56,451 people, Palestinian health authorities said in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israel lost 1,200 lives as a result of the Hamas attack.

Israel's intense attacks also destroyed Gaza, whose 60 percent infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, and forced two million Palestinians to flee while short of food, clean water and medicine.