KUALA LUMPUR – Palestinians in Gaza urged the Islamic world to come out with practical solutions to end Israeli aggression in the besieged enclave, voicing their disappointment with the resolutions adopted during the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit last Saturday.
Member of Palestine’s Council on International Relations Abdullah Waleed said like previous international meetings such as the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Security Council, for Palestinians, the summit fell short of expectations.
“If you ask any Palestinian in Gaza, they are very frustrated, very disappointed by the resolutions even though as I said the speeches (by the Muslim leaders) were fine, they showed solidarity and they showed support.
“The language was very clear, to blame Israel and to condemn – but at the end of the day, we really need to see some practical resolutions,” he told Bernama from Rafah when contacted via WhatsApp.
Abdullah noted that the people of Gaza hope the Islamic world will take measures that truly put pressure on Israel and its allies to stop the attack on Gaza and lift the siege.
He called for the Arab world to cease exporting oil to Israel and its allies and sever diplomatic ties with Israel to exert pressure to halt the aggression in Gaza.
“Believe me, Israel will stop the attack because this is something important for the Europeans and Americans. The Arabs, especially the Gulf countries, if they take this decision to stop selling oil for one day, I believe that the world will stop immediately,” he said.
While he was replying to Bernama through Whatsapp, he mentioned hearing the sound of bombs from his home as Israeli marine forces hit the coastline. Simultaneously, Israeli tanks filled the district area in the eastern part of Gaza and planes dropped bombs on houses.
“Yesterday (Saturday) night as we were preparing to sleep, an airstrike hit a house in Rafah and it killed several people,” he said, adding that time is of essence for the people of Gaza as the killing continues every minute.
Abdullah said it is very disappointing when humanitarian aid is subjected to Israeli approval, which prohibits the entry of much-needed fuel despite the fact that the Rafah border is between Gaza and Egypt.
“We are asking Egypt and the Arab world to take a united position against Israel and say this is an Arab and Islamic world decision, we are entering Gaza despite the pressure by Israel and the United States. This is what we were hoping for from the summit,” he said.
The Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Saturday, among others, wanted the UN Security Council to take a decisive and binding decision to impose a ceasefire in Gaza and curb Israeli actions which violate the international laws.
In the Final Communique issued Saturday night at the end of the one-day summit to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Palestinians, the summit wanted the siege on Gaza to be broken to allow immediate entry of Arab, Islamic and international humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian volunteer Dr Tareq M. Altalmas said he was not expecting much from the summit, calling Muslim leaders to take bold steps such as entering Gaza to demonstrate their support.
“Muslim leaders must come and enter Gaza, if some of them are brave enough. Most of Western leaders went to Israel but no one was brave enough to enter Gaza,” he said.
Tareq, the Global Peace Mission Malaysia (GPM) coordinator at its humanitarian centre in Gaza City, said the people of Gaza were not expecting the Muslim world to deploy military forces to Gaza but hoped they will pressure Israel to cease their attacks and facilitate unimpeded humanitarian assistance into the blockaded enclave.
Tareq, who has relocated to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, mentioned that he and his team of volunteers have been persistently providing support to the people of Gaza despite the depletion of essential goods in the markets.
“Our recent operation was giving cash to the displaced people and they will find a way to buy things themselves. Sometimes they will buy their needs from other people,” he said, adding that there are approximately 700,000 people remaining in the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli attacks are still happening.
Tareq also emphasised the importance of permitting search-and-rescue teams to enter the enclave, as thousands of Palestinians are feared to be trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings due to Israeli airstrikes.
Gaza’s civil defence has collapsed, he said, adding that GPM volunteers also engaged in search-and-rescue efforts using two recycled civil defence vehicles.
“Civil defence department in Gaza should be rebuilt. We (GPM) have a very close relationship with them and I know their situation,” he said.
The number of deaths in the ongoing Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has surpassed the grim figure of 11,540, including more than 8,000 women and children, Palestinian Health Ministry said yesterday. Also 28,200 people have been wounded in the Israeli aggression on Gaza. – November 14, 2023