Gulf bloc condemns Israeli attack on Gaza refugee camp

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – Kuwait, Oman and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned Sunday an Israeli attack that killed hundreds in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

At least 274 people were killed and nearly 700 others injured in Israeli bombardment of the camp on Saturday, according to local health authorities.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry termed the Israeli attack as “barbaric” and a “flagrant violation of international law."

It called on the international community and the UN Security Council “to shoulder their responsibilities to stop this barbaric aggression against the Palestinian people."

Oman’s Foreign Ministry, for its part, denounced Israel’s “systematic war crimes against the Palestinian people.”

It called on the international community to “urgently intervene to put an end to these crimes against humanity, protect civilians, and hold the Israeli occupation state responsible for its actions."

- 'Barbaric aggression reveals true face of Israel'

The GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, also denounced the Israeli attack.

“This attack is a heinous and terrorist crime that targeted innocent, defenseless people with unprecedented brutality,” GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said in a statement.

“This barbaric aggression reveals the true face of the Israeli occupation forces and demonstrates their complete disregard for all international conventions and humanitarian values.”

Albudaiwi called on the international community “to assume its historical and moral responsibilities and take immediate and decisive action to stop these repeated and horrific crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people.”

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hams attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 37,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and nearly 84,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi