By Abdul Salam Fayez
ISTANBUL (AA) - As Palestinians marked Eid al-Adha despite death and destruction, Hamas on Sunday called for intensifying relief efforts in the face of Israel's "war of extermination" in the Gaza Strip for over eight months.
In a statement marking the Feast of Sacrifice, the group urged support for "the resilience of our Palestinian people and their defense of their sacred sites,” and called for “increased efforts to provide relief in the face of the ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and starvation."
This year's Eid al-Adha holiday comes amid Israel's continued brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has claimed the lives of 37,000 Palestinians and caused a humanitarian crisis. Vast tracts of the enclave lay in ruins amid a shortage of food, clean water, and medicine.
People in Gaza have gone through relentless suffering, nowhere is safe, and conditions are deplorable, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi