Ambassador Abdullah M Abu Shawesh has strongly condemned the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, characterizing it not as a humanitarian crisis, but rather as a calculated genocide perpetrated by the United States and Israel. His remarks came amid growing outrage over the devastating consequences of military actions in the region, which he says have turned Gaza into a "real-world embodiment of hell on earth."
The situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with figures detailing the harrowing impact. As of October 24, 2024, there have been 42,603 registered martyrs, including 17,000 children, 171 infants, and 786 children under one year old. Among the deceased, 37 individuals died of hunger, 11,673 were women, 1,047 were medical staff, 85 were civil defense personnel, and 177 were journalists. Disturbingly, 520 bodies were recovered from seven mass graves within hospitals, while 10,000 people remain missing.
The number of wounded has soared, with 100,282 people admitted to hospitals, of whom 12,000 urgently need medical treatment abroad. Additionally, 12,500 cancer patients face imminent death due to a lack of appropriate care. The health crisis is further exacerbated by the 71,338 viral hepatitis cases reported among those displaced.
Children in Gaza continue to bear the brunt of the devastation. "Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history," Ambassador Abu Shawesh noted, citing the brutal impact on the one million children living in the territory. He described how the southern region, which is overwhelmed with displaced families, suffers from dire shortages of water, sanitation, and shelter. "They are not safe in schools, shelters, or even hospitals," he lamented, underscoring the lethal conditions children endure daily.
The violence and repression have extended beyond Gaza to the occupied West Bank, where 11,400 detainees are being held, including 9,392 administrative detainees, 750 children, 430 women, and 129 journalists—58 of whom are still under arrest. The ambassador also highlighted the disturbing silence from the international community in the face of the repression of Palestinian activists and suppression of their freedoms, particularly in North America and Europe.
Ambassador Abu Shawesh stressed that the world’s silence is no longer acceptable. "Silence is required when children sleep, not when they are slaughtered like sheep right in front of the world's eyes. Silence is complicity," he declared, calling for an end to what he termed a "heinous, malicious, and vindictive" genocide.
The full statement from Ambassador Abdullah M Abu Shawesh is attached below.
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Full Statement:
Press Release
October 24, 2024
It’s not a humanitarian crisis, it is the US-Israeli genocide, period, call a spade a spade. Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history.
"The smell of death is everywhere as bodies are left lying on the roads or under the rubble…. In northern Gaza, people are just waiting to die. They feel deserted, hopeless, and alone," citing Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General.
On the 384th day of the US-Israeli heinous, malicious, and vindictive genocide, here are some statistical figures:
42,603 registered martyrs, out of whom 17,000 children, 171 infants, 786 were less than one year old, 37 died of hunger, 11,673 women, 1,047 medical staff, 85 civil defense personnel, 177 journalists.
520 bodies were recovered from 7 mass graves inside hospitals, and 10,000 are still missing.
100,282 wounded arrived at hospitals, 12,000 wounded need to travel abroad for medical treatments, 12,500 cancer patients face death due to the lack of appropriate treatments.
396 media correspondents.
35,055 children living without their parents or without one of them.
71,338 viral hepatitis cases diagnosed due to displacement.
5,000 detainees, including 310 medical staff and three doctors who were assassinated.
193 shelters targeted.
In the occupied West Bank, the number of detainees has reached 11,400, including 9,392 administrative detainees, 129 journalists (58 of whom are still under arrest), 750 children, and 430 women. Thousands of detainees from Gaza and forcibly disappeared individuals are languishing in the occupation prisons and concentration camps without any information about them.
"Gaza is the real-world embodiment of hell on earth for its one million children. And it’s getting worse day by day, as we see the horrific impact of the daily airstrikes and military operations on Palestinian children. Today, the south is desperately overcrowded and lethally lacks essential water, sanitation, and shelter. So where would children and their families go? They are not safe in schools and shelters. They are not safe in hospitals. And they are certainly not safe in overcrowded camp sites. Perhaps the darkest irony in once again forcibly displacing families into these so-called ‘humanitarian zones’ is that – beyond their lack of food, water, and medicine – they too have been bombed."
“…an extensive pattern of unlawful, discriminatory and disproportionate restrictions and repression of freedom of expression, primarily of Palestinian activists and their supporters … This trend did not emerge with the Israeli assault on Gaza but has become more widespread in the past year, from the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza to the banning of Palestinian protests, speech, and symbols in various countries, especially in North America and Europe.”
Silence is required when children sleep, not when they are slaughtered like sheep right in front of the world's eyes. Silence is complicity.
I thank you.
Ambassador Abdullah M Abu Shawesh
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