[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/foreign-minister-calls-greater-oic-role-end-gaza-atrocities-3559996

Foreign minister calls for greater OIC role to end Gaza atrocities​

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. File photo

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud called on the OIC member states to take alternate measures to end the conflict in Gaza and to ensure rights for the Palestinian people.

The foreign minister reiterated Bangladesh's firm support for the Palestinian cause and called for an immediate ceasefire and opening of humanitarian corridors in the besieged territory.

While addressing the 19th Extraordinary CFM of the OIC on Israel's' aggression on the Palestinian People in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he also stressed on the importance of the Islamic Financial Safety Net to ensure basic necessities for the Palestinians.

Foreign minister, mentioning the strong statement delivered by Bangladesh at the ICJ in February for the Palestinians, hoped that peace will be established soon in the region.

Noting the current stalemate at the United Nations Security Council, Foreign Minister highlighted the need for its reform so that decision on globally effecting issues could be reached.

He stressed the importance of Muslim Ummah's unity to stop atrocities against Palestinians, ensuring their safe and peaceful living in their homeland.

Earlier yesterday, Dr Hasan Mahmud paid a courtesy call on Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the OIC Secretariat in Jeddah.

Expressing satisfaction at bilateral ties, Dr Mahmud hoped for deeper cooperation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, anticipating a visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Al Saud affirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to sophisticated economic cooperation.

They discussed increasing sectoral cooperation, trade, and investment opportunities, with Dr. Mahmud seeking cooperation in crude oil purchase, which Al Saud promised to consider, including investments in refinery and petrochemical industries.

Al Saud congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her re-election and praised her leadership in hosting Rohingya refugees, pledging Saudi Arabia's full support.

Hasan Mahmud also met with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha.

Taha praised Sheikh Hasina's leadership and reaffirmed OIC's support for Rohingya people.

The foreign minister advocated for greater trade and investment among OIC member states to mitigate economic challenges stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, proposing a dedicated cell at the OIC Secretariat for trade-related information dissemination.​

 

[Saif]

Famine should be declared in Gaza Strip

At least 70 organisations are calling on relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor yesterday.

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Famine should be declared in Gaza Strip
Say rights organisations as Israel using starvation as a 'weapon of war' against Palestinian people

A Palestinian man walks past a destroyed building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, amid the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Palestinian enclave. Israel prepared to allow around 200 aid trucks into Gaza through Kerem Shalom at the southeastern edge of the Palestinian enclave, bypassing the main Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Photo: AFP

At least 70 organisations are calling on relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor yesterday.

It said that food insecurity is increasing across the enclave because of Israel's use of starvation as a "weapon of war" against the Palestinian people – something the organisations say is part of a genocide, a charge Israel has denied.

"The organisations stated that food security levels have significantly declined as a result of the Israeli army's ground operation in Rafah City, south of the Gaza Strip, which began on May 7 and was preceded the day before by blocking the entry of humanitarian aid trucks through the Rafah crossing" the statement read.

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[Saif]

Israel not ‘akin’ to Hamas

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan justified his decision to request arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister in an interview with a British newspaper published yesterday.

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Israel not 'akin' to Hamas
Says ICC prosecutor

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan justified his decision to request arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defence minister in an interview with a British newspaper published yesterday.

Khan said on Monday that he was seeking warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohamed Deif, on suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

His announcement sparked the ire of Israel and its allies the United States and United Kingdom, all of which criticised Khan for putting together Hamas and Israel, which has carried out a relentless military campaign in Gaza since October 7.

"It's a precarious moment internationally and if we don't hold on to the law, we have nothing to cling onto," Khan, who rarely speaks publicly, told the Sunday Times newspaper.

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[Saif]

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian prime minister

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel. Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move th

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Norway hands over papers for diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian prime minister
Published :
May 26, 2024 19:53
Updated :
May 26, 2024 19:53

Norway on Sunday handed over diplomatic papers to the Palestinian prime minister in the latest step toward recognising a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that has infuriated Israel.

Ireland and Spain made a concerted pledge with Norway to recognise a Palestinian state, a historic move that increases Israel's isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza, reports AP.

The handover of papers by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to the prime minister was made in Brussels, where Mohammad Mustafa is also meeting with foreign ministers of European Union nations and high-level EU officials on Monday to drum up support for the Palestinians. Norway itself is not part of the EU.

The diplomatic move by the three nations was a welcome boost of support for Palestinian officials who have sought for decades to establish a statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls.

"Recognition means a lot for us. It is the most important thing that anybody can do for the Palestinian people," said Mustafa. "It is a great deal for us."

The formal recognition by Norway, Spain and Ireland — which all have a record of friendly ties with both the Israelis and the Palestinians, while long advocating for a Palestinian state — is planned for Tuesday.

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[Saif]

Netanyahu says Rafah strike a 'tragic accident', vows to defeat Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza's Rafah was a "tragic accident", which his government was investigating

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Netanyahu says Rafah strike a 'tragic accident', vows to defeat Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza's Rafah was a "tragic accident", which his government was investigating.

"In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents and, despite our best efforts, a tragic accident happened yesterday," Netanyahu told parliament.

He added that "we are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions" after Gaza's health ministry reported 45 dead as the strike late Sunday sparked a fire that tore through a tent city for displaced Gazans.

The ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip also said that 249 people were wounded.

Israel faced a wave of international condemnation on Monday over the Rafah strike, including from across the region as well from the European Union, France and the United Nations.

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[Saif]

Gaza civil defence says 21 dead in new Israeli strike on Gaza camp

A civil defence official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday killed at least 21 people, days after a similar strike that sparked global outrage

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Gaza civil defence says 21 dead in new Israeli strike on Gaza camp

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, as seen from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024.

A civil defence official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday killed at least 21 people, days after a similar strike that sparked global outrage.

Mohammad al-Mughayyir said they were killed in an "occupation strike targeting the tents of displaced people west of Rafah." Hamas said an Israeli strike had caused "dozens of martyrs and wounded" in the area.

It came as Israeli tanks penetrated the heart of Rafah, according to Palestinian officials, despite widespread condemnation over an air strike on a crowded camp in the southern Gaza city that killed 45 people two days earlier.

Israeli tanks were "stationed on the Al-Awda roundabout in the centre of the city of Rafah", one witness said.

A Palestinian security source said tanks were in central Rafah, where Israeli troops launched a controversial ground assault earlier this month.

"People are currently inside their homes because anyone who moves is being shot at by Israeli drones," one resident, Abdel Khatib, said.

With an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting at 1915 GMT due to discuss Sunday's strike on the displaced camp, the situation remains tense in Rafah.

In a statement issued hours before the meeting, Israel's military said the weapons used in Sunday's strike "could not" have caused the deadly blaze in the Rafah camp.

"Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size," said military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

Sunday evening's strike, which medics said also wounded hundreds of civilians, drew worldwide condemnation.

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