Palestinian Foreign Minister Calls For International Sanctions For Israel

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki (rightmost) at the International Court (ICJ) session in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday (19/2/2024). (Between/Anadolou)

JAKARTA - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Saturday urged the international community to impose sanctions on Israel for genocide in the Gaza Strip.

"The right approach is to impose sanctions on Israel for its actions in the Gaza Strip... But at this time, countries in the world do not have the courage to say anything to Israel or recognize its responsibility for genocide in the Gaza Strip," said al-Maliki at the 2024 Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

The minister also called for an investigation into the deadly shooting of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip as they awaits humanitarian aid deliveries.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib voiced his support for the idea of imposing sanctions on Israel, and said the United States should be the first to do so.

On Thursday, Palestinian authorities said that the Israeli military opened fire on crowds in Gaza City as they waited to receive humanitarian aid, causing 112 people to be killed and another 760 injured.

Israel denies saying the death toll from the shooting was not that large and claims most of the victims who died were due to pressure as they stormed trucks transporting humanitarian aid.

Israeli defense forces IDF said its troops opened fire after several Palestinians reportedly approached IDF tanks and troops.

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Hamas movement launched a large-scale rocket strike against Israel from Gaza and killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240 others.

Israel launched a counter-attack, ordered a total blockade of Gaza, and began ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave with the aim of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.

At least 30,020 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, 2023, Qatar mediated an agreement between Israel and Hamas over the interim ceasefire and the exchange of several detainees and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The ceasefire has been extended several times and ended on December 1, 2023 More than 100 hostages are believed to be still being held by Hamas in Gaza