UAE strongly condemns Israeli attack on Gazan refugee camp

Hundreds were killed or wounded in deadly attack on Tuesday evening

Palestinians search for casualties in Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza, after Israeli air strikes on Tuesday evening. Reuters

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The UAE has strongly condemned Israeli air strikes on a Gazan refugee camp, in which hundreds of people were killed or wounded.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “indiscriminate attacks” would lead to “irreparable damage” for the region, following the deadly assault on Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the enclave on Tuesday evening.

Dr Atef Kahlout, head of the Indonesian Hospital, where the victims are being taken, told The National that about 400 people had been killed or wounded in the strikes.

“We are having to treat victims on the floors – we have no where to put them. People are coming in with fourth-degree burns, some bodies headless and in pieces,” Dr Kahlout said.

The UAE repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored the importance of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.

“The UAE reiterates that the continued lack of a political horizon risks catastrophic repercussions, and disregarding the potential consequences would lead to devastating outcomes for the prospects of peace and stability in the region,” state news agency Wam reported, quoting the ministry.

Meanwhile, the Emirates on Tuesday addressed the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip, stemming from the conflict.

Urgent need to end war

Ghasaq Shaheen, political co-ordinator for the UAE mission to the UN, highlighted the urgent need to support for people facing “catastrophic conditions” in the Gaza Strip.

Ms Shaheen reaffirmed the UAE's call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life, during a UN Security Council briefing held by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“We, once again, underscore the situation of refugees and internally displaced people in Gaza. There is an urgent need to stop the war and protect civilians from the ongoing Israeli bombardment, which even hit the places where people sought refuge,” she said.

“This includes a strike on a refugee camp in Jabalia, which, according to initial reports, led to the killing and injury of hundreds of people.”

Ms Shaheen said Israel had bombed 42 per cent of centres run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, where more than 670,000 displaced people have sought shelter.

“Bombardment has also hit other civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law,” she said.

“Now, more than 8,000 people have been killed, and 70 per cent of them are women and children.”

The UAE also rejects attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians and is calling on Israel to cancel its orders regarding the evacuation of more than a million people from northern to southern Gaza, Ms Shaheen said.

“Third, we must focus on addressing the root causes of displacement to avoid the suffering that accompanies it. This approach would be more efficient and cost-effective for the international community, and it requires advancing development in countries that lack economic opportunities and preventing and resolving conflicts peacefully,” she said.

“I would like to focus on the catastrophic conditions of over two million people in the Gaza Strip, who have been subject to continuous Israeli bombing for three weeks.

“Even before the last war, which has displaced more than 60 per cent of civilians, two thirds of Gaza’s population were refugees already living in difficult conditions.”

Ms Shaheen said the situation had deteriorated dramatically amid Israel’s move to impose a siege on October 9.

“The siege is cutting off electricity and water and preventing the entry of food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza, except for a handful of shipments, which represents less than 4 per cent of the volume of commodities that entered before the war began,” she said.

“Under these horrific circumstances, we stress the need to ensure safe and sustainable humanitarian aid access throughout Gaza.”