Death Toll Surpasses 2,300 as European Muslims Urge World to Prevent Genocide in Palestine
The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the Israeli airstrikes and shelling on the besieged Gaza Strip have killed 2,329 Palestinians and injured 9,042 more since last Saturday. The ministry said that the casualties include many women and children.
The Israeli military campaign, dubbed Operation Swords of Iron, is a response to a surprise attack by Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza. Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which involved firing rockets and sending commandos into occupied territories via land, sea, and air. Hamas said the attack was in retaliation for the Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlers' violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli aggression has also cut off water and electricity supplies to Gaza, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the area that has been under a tight blockade since 2007. The Israeli military also ordered more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the south, raising fears of a ground invasion.
On the Israeli side, the death toll has reached 1,300 and the number of injured has exceeded 3,400, according to official sources.
European Muslim Forum calls for action to halt Palestinian genocide
In a concerted effort to address the ongoing crisis in Palestine and denounce the distortion of events by Western media, the European Muslim Forum has issued a resolute call to the international community to employ all available legal channels to thwart Israel's genocide against Palestinians.
In a recent virtual meeting that united prominent figures and representatives from various corners of Europe, key discussions focused on the prevailing situation in Palestine and the potential actions to be taken both within Europe and the broader Islamic world.
Notable attendees included Lauren Booth, a member of the Muslim Women's Council, Mahmoud Habbas, an advisor to the Palestinian Presidency's Religious Affairs, Anna Stamou from the Greek Muslim Association, Mufti Romas Jakubauskas representing the Lithuanian Sunni Muslim Faith Center, as well as Turkish MP Dogan Bekin, among others.
The assembly, which featured members from 36 different countries, conveyed an unwavering commitment to no longer remain passive in the face of the crisis unfolding in the heart of the Islamic and Arab world.
In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting, European Muslims expressed their united and heartfelt support for the Palestinian and Gazan populations, alongside a firm demand that Israeli authorities and the global community respect the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
"Our demand is growing stronger because they are not only being deprived of their right to establish their own state but also their most fundamental right, the right to exist, is being attempted to be taken away from them before our eyes. Taking the lives of innocent people is unacceptable, no matter how much political interests try to justify it,” it said.
The European Muslim Forum has, therefore, urged the international community and conscientious individuals in Europe to make use of legal avenues to intervene and prevent the genocide of Palestinians.
Source: Agencies
