Tel Aviv [Israel], December 19: Al Jazeera yesterday quoted Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as warning that Israel's daily violations of the ceasefire in Gaza threaten the entire agreement.
According to Al Jazeera, since the agreement came into effect on October 10, Israel has violated the ceasefire at least 738 times, resulting in the deaths of more than 394 Palestinians and injuries to 1,075 others.
The Qatari leader also called for accelerating progress toward the next phase of the agreement to end the conflict in Gaza . Al Thani made the appeal after a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington D.C. on December 17th, as part of the 7th US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.
At the meeting, the Qatari Prime Minister stressed that delays and violations of the ceasefire threaten the entire process and put mediators in a difficult position. He affirmed that humanitarian aid must reach Gaza "unconditionally" and that phase two of the agreement needs to be implemented immediately.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly desperate due to the devastating winter storms, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in makeshift tent camps or inside bomb-damaged buildings. Israel is accused of continuing to refuse access to essential goods and supplies in Gaza. Only about 39% of trucks are able to reach their destinations inside Gaza.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
