Qatar stresses on creating political conditions for a Palestinian State

Qatar has stressed the importance of creating real political conditions for the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian State on the borders of June 4, 1967, in accordance with the relevant resolutions and to ensure that all those responsible for crimes and grave violations committed against the Palestinian people are held accountable.

It also referred to the initiative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to treat 1,500 wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in Doha.

This came in a speech delivered by Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva HE Dr Hind bint Abdulrahman al-Muftah, during the 77th session of the World Health Assembly on "health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan."

HE Dr al-Muftah said that the main reason behind the deterioration of health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan are the policies and procedures practised by the Israeli occupation authorities, the most important of which are the repeated attacks and assaults on Palestinians and the targeting of healthcare facilities and their staff, in addition to the discriminatory restrictions imposed on providing health services, preventing freedom of movement, closing crossings, establishing settlements, and making it difficult to transport patients for treatment abroad.

The health situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering from an unjust siege since 2006 and brutal aggression, massacres and genocide since October 7, has become catastrophic, she added, pointing out that the scale of losses and destruction occurring has never been witnessed in history. She noted the killing of more than 36,000 Palestinians, including 14,000 children, and number of the wounded exceeded 84,000 people, and more than 10,000 people were missing and under rubble.

HE Dr al-Muftah noted that what raises grave concern is that Israel, the occupying power, treats with all cynicism the decisions issued by international organisations and UN agencies, explaining that instead of respecting, adhering to, and implementing these decisions, Israel has continued to exterminate the Palestinian people and commit the most heinous crimes and grave violations of human rights and the destruction of all forms of life in Gaza.

She pointed out that Israel imposed a policy of starving the Palestinians, depriving them of water, food, medicine, electricity, and fuel, and deliberately destroying infrastructure, especially medical facilities, noting that more than 80% of hospitals and healthcare centers were out of service, and more than 500 medical and health personnel were killed, in addition to tightening the siege, preventing the entry of humanitarian and relief supplies and medical delegations, targeting humanitarian relief workers and ambulance teams, and forced displacement, as the number of displaced Palestinians in Gaza exceeded 1.7mn people.

In this regard, she called on the international community not to be limited to condemning the occupation authorities that violate all international laws, but rather to bear its legal and moral responsibilities and take all urgent measures in order to stop the aggression, prevent the invasion of Rafah city, protect the Palestinians, and guarantee their right to life and access to medical and health services and humanitarian aid in a way that guarantees their dignity and right to life.

HE Dr al-Muftah stressed that Qatar will continue to provide all necessary support to the brotherly Palestinian people, especially in the health fields, referring to the air bridge operated by Qatar to provide humanitarian aid, which includes thousands of tonnes of food, medical and shelter supplies, in addition to a field hospital and ambulances.

Qatar's mediation succeeded in reaching an agreement that included the introduction of medicines and humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for delivering the medicines needed by Israeli detainees in the Strip, she said noting co-operation with Turkiye, in order to reunite a number of the wounded from the Gaza Strip who are receiving treatment in Turkiye with their relatives who are being treated in Doha, which allowed them to complete their treatment together.