Humanitarian pause not sufficient to recover situation in Gaza: Indonesian FM
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said that a humanitarian pause alone was not sufficient to improve and recover the situation in Gaza.
The statement was delivered during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza on Wednesday.
In addition, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi was left perplexed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to continue the war with the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, after the humanitarian pause in Gaza ended.
“I quote PM Netanyahu’s statement saying that military operations will be resumed with full force when the truce is over. I cannot comprehend his statement,” Marsudi noted in her press statement video.
The minister also expressed deep concern over the current situation in Gaza and also increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
“If the number of prisoners released by Israel is as many or less than the new arrests made in the West Bank, then what is the point of releasing them?” she questioned.
Hence, Marsudi urged the UNSC to pay attention to the humanitarian threats in the Gaza Strip.
“The UNSC must be able to prevent violence from recurring in Gaza,” she emphasized.
In this case, Indonesia encourages the UNSC to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided without obstacles throughout the Gaza Strip, and it must be monitored properly.
The UNSC is also expected to ensure respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, and can help to realize a permanent ceasefire to end genocide in Gaza.
The presence of Minister Marsudi along with other foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the UNSC meeting aims to demonstrate the OIC’s support for Palestine and also as a follow-up to the mandate given by OIC leaders after the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 11 to make all-out efforts to find a solution to the situation in Gaza.
