The State of Palestine has strongly condemned what it described as dangerous and provocative actions by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing the two officials of encouraging the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Palestinian Ambassador Tamer Almassri said the ministers had incited thousands of Israeli settlers and extremists to gather along the Gaza perimeter while openly advocating for the return of Israeli settlements in the besieged enclave.
Almassri described the calls as a blatant attempt to advance further land confiscation, arguing that they were the result of what he termed the international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable for repeated violations of international law.
According to the ambassador, Israeli forces currently occupy and control more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, where military operations have continued despite a declared ceasefire. He alleged that ongoing violence has persisted across the territory, resulting in further civilian casualties and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The statement claimed that 1,123 Palestinians have been killed since the implementation of the ceasefire, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the outbreak of the war in 2023 to 73,283.
Almassri further accused Israeli occupation forces of continuing military attacks throughout Gaza, saying the operations have intensified the humanitarian crisis by causing civilian deaths, restricting humanitarian aid deliveries and forcing civilians into progressively smaller areas.
He said the continued military operations and the collapse of essential services had further deteriorated living conditions across the war-ravaged territory.
The ambassador called on the United Nations, international human rights organisations and the broader international community to move beyond diplomatic statements and take concrete action to enforce international law.
He urged the international community to impose sanctions and pursue legal accountability to halt what the State of Palestine described as Israel’s ongoing campaign of genocide, land confiscation and forced displacement.
Israel has consistently rejected accusations of genocide, maintaining that its military operations in Gaza are aimed at dismantling Hamas following the group’s October 2023 attack, and has argued that its actions are conducted in accordance with international law. The conflict and casualty figures remain the subject of international scrutiny and differing claims by the parties involved.
