By; IBRAHIM ADAMU, Kaduna
Islamic cleric, Dr. Ahmad Gumi has declared that the cause of standing with Palestinian people should be championed by all irrespective of religion, nation and ethnicity.
Dr. Gumi made the call at a press conference in Kaduna, where he played host to Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdallah Abu Shawesh on Friday October 27, 2023.
He drew attention to the plight of the people in Gaza, whom he said, have been subjected to all sorts of inhumane acts of indiscriminate killing, through airstrikes and blockades through land and sea, cutting off a population of over two million people from food, water and medical supplies.
The Islamic cleric described the bombings in Gaza as a war crime needed to be prosecuted by ICC in Hague, which he noted non-combatant civilians had been killed, including women and children in the guise of fighting Hamas members.
While enjoining Nigerian government to emulate the Indian adminstration for sending 30 million dollars to Palestinians as aid to alleviate the suffering of the people, Gumi urged the United Nations and the international community to immediately end the war in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the strip.
The Palestinian ambassador in his speech went historical lane, blaming the British for originating the crisis by handing over palestinian land to European Jews through Balfour Declaration of 1948.
He insisted the ongoing war did not begin on 7 October as Israel he noted would have the world believe, adding that the crisis predated the day Hamas fighters attacked ‘Jewish settlements’, ignited by killing of seven Palestinian people in West Bank on Friday October 7.
The ambassador theorized that the root cause of the problem must be identified and solved before a sustainable peace could be achieved in the whole area, and the middle east in general.
“This is exactly what the UN Secretary General did when he said, what happened on October 7 didn’t come from the vacuum since, the Israeli occupation forces launched a wide and frenzy war against the Palestinian people in occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in this regards here are some statistical figures that shed a bit of light on the unfolding crime of genocide.
“The total number of martyrs since October 7 has reached 7028 Palestinian, 2913 of them are children, 281 undefined, while around 20000 civilians sustained various level of injuries and more than 15 hundred are missing under the rubbles.
“The death toll in the occupied West Bank reached 104 and 900 sustained various level of injuries. 73 of the health workers were killed, while 100 injured. 12 hospitals and 32 health centers were out of service due todirect attacks or running out of fuel. 25 ambulances became out of services due to the Israeli attacks.
“Some of the weapons used by the occupying Power melts the skin of the people, and need a special treatment that is not found in Gaza.
“Surgical operations were performed without anesthesia using the light of telephones, and the wounded were treated on the floors of the corridors Due to crowded hospitals, the lack of hygiene and clean drinking water, many diseases began to appear, such as smallpox, scabies, and diarrhea.
“We strongly condemn the brazen and unjustified campaign launched by Israeli leaders and their Western supporters against the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, for telling the truth about what is happening in Gaza. This also falls within the policy of silencing, intimidation and terrorism that Istael pursues against everyone who criticizes its criminal behavior and demands the implementation of the International humanitarian law.
“The moral duty of the media is to present and broadcast reality and the truth, but unfortunately this was not the case. The majority of the Western media participated in spreading the Israeli propaganda. The death toll among the Palestinian journalists reached 20.
“Yesterday, the Israeli air force deliberately attacked Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh’ shome and killed his wife and two of his child. I would like to remind you all that one and half years ago, the Israeli occupation army deliberately assassinated his colleague Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank, this is another attempt from Israeli to stifle the voice of truth.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory acknowledged the responsibility of the Israeli occupation army for the martyrdom of Palestinian journalist Sherine Abu Aqla.
It is unfortunate that we have all witnessed and are still witnessing the unprecedented pilgrimage of some pro-Israel Western leaders to provide their full military and political support for the current genocide and use extremely unbalanced language in commenting on the currently ongoing war against the Palestinians, giving the Israeli occupation the green light to commit more massacres, this for sure will raise the number of innocent people to be killed on the upcoming days, and increase the mass destruction of the Palestinian homes and infrastructure, alongside the deepening-and enhancing Palestinian human suffering, especially among children and women,” he lamented.
Dignitaries at hand to receive the ambassador were; Senator Shehu Sani, Pastor Yohana Buru, 2023 Kaduna governorship candidate of PRP Hayatudeen Makarfi among others.
Shehu Sani in his submission said it was high time Nigeria and other African countries paid back the debts of Palestine for their supports for ANC and Zimbabwe in their struggles against apartheid and racist colonialists in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.
He said support for Gaza should not be seen as religious, ethnic or ideological but rather, a cause and service for humanity.
Pastor Yohanna Buru on his part called on major faiths in the country and the world to unite and speak with one voice against the carnage in Gaza.
Buru decried the silence of international community in the face of what he tagged an unwarranted slaughtering of women and children in Gaza, saying humanity would have to answer the probing of God who frowned at shedding of blood, especially that of innocent children who had done nothing to deserve such brutality.
