Two Palestinians killed and others injured in Israeli strike, gunfire in Gaza

Qatar has declared that Israel's ongoing occupation, severe abuses, and crimes against Palestinians, including illegal settlement growth, forced displacement, and attacks on Syria and Lebanon, are serious breaches of international law. This assertion was made by Dr. Hend Abdulrahman Al Muftah, Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, during a debate at the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

She emphasized Qatar's firm disapproval of Israel's continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, targeting civilians and infrastructure, the ongoing Palestinian suffering, settler incursions into the Al Aqsa Mosque, and efforts to change the demographic makeup of occupied East Jerusalem. Al Muftah highlighted that Israel's refusal to follow the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, as endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2803, signifies a direct challenge to international efforts for a just, comprehensive, and enduring peace, the realization of a two-state solution, and an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

She called upon the global community to accept its duties to end the Israeli occupation, ensure accountability for Palestinian abuses, and cease any backing that facilitates the growth and strengthening of illegal Israeli settlements. The envoy applauded the actions of certain nations, such as imposing trade restrictions on products from settlements, urging further expansion to prevent any support for illegal Israeli settlement activities and to ensure states uphold their obligations.