Palestine holds US responsible for ongoing bloodshed in Gaza

By Aysar Alais

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) held the US administration responsible for the ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip amid a deadly Israeli onslaught on the enclave.

At least 43,800 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 103,600 others injured in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza since a Hamas attack last October.

"We hold the US administration fully responsible for the continuation of this bloody aggression due to its political cover to the Israeli occupation,” PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

He said the US cover helps Israel “evade accountability and defy international legal resolutions.”

"The Israeli occupation forces are translating the continuous US support into genocidal massacres, with mass killings that claim the lives of dozens of children and women,” he added.

At least 96 Palestinians were killed and 60 others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes in the northern and central Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to local authorities in the enclave.

The Palestinian spokesman called on Washington to pile pressure on Israel to halt its attacks against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

"If this (bloodshed) continues, the entire region risks being engulfed in flames, and no one will be able to enjoy peace or stability," he warned.

Since Oct. 5, Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza to allegedly prevent Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there on the verge of imminent famine.

More than 2,000 people have since been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala