Sudani: Iraq Supports Palestinian State on its Historical Soil

Sudani received Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad (government media)
Sudani received Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad (government media)
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Sudani: Iraq Supports Palestinian State on its Historical Soil

Sudani received Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad (government media)
Sudani received Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad (government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa Al-Sudani renewed his country’s support for “the State of Palestine on its historical soil.”
During a meeting on Thursday in Baghdad with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Sudani emphasized “Iraq’s firm and principled stance towards the Palestinian issue”, reiterating “support for Palestine and the continuation of its independent state on its historical soil.”
The Iraqi premier criticized the international community’s inability to stop the brutal crimes committed against the Palestinians and the disregard of international agreements and laws.
He reiterated “Iraq’s readiness to deliver all forms of support to our Palestinian people, despite the obstacles hindering the delivery of food and humanitarian relief supplies, as well as large quantities of fuel that amounted to 10 million barrels...”
For his part, Mustafa praised the Iraqi stance, expressing the Palestinian people’s appreciation for the Iraqi government’s efforts and its pioneering initiatives in sending aid and fuel to Palestine.
“History will not forget the sacrifices of the Iraqis for the sake of Palestine and its just cause,” he said, praising “the progress Iraq is witnessing at various levels, and its growing position as a strong actor in promoting international and regional security and stability.”
According to a statement by the Iraqi government, the two officials discussed the situation in Palestine, the war in Gaza and the “bloody massacres and genocide committed by the brutal occupation.”
They also reviewed challenges facing the Palestinian government, the urgent humanitarian needs, and the difficult humanitarian and service conditions in Gaza.
Locally, Sudani downplayed the threat of terrorism represented by ISIS, compared to the “greater threat of corruption.”
Addressing the first forum of Iraqi governorate councils and offices on Thursday, he said: “We stress the importance of supporting the supervisory, legislative, and policy-making roles of governorate councils, to guarantee an environment that limits corruption.”
According to a statement by the Iraqi government, the forum, which was held in coordination with the Integrity Commission, aims to activate the supervisory role of the provincial councils in line with the government’s priorities to fight corruption.

 

 

 



With Nowhere Else to Hide, Gazans Shelter in Former Prison

24 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Displaced Palestinians stay in Asda prison in Khan Younis after the Israeli army ordered them to leave their homes in the towns of Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma'an, Al-Zana and a number of other villages, amid Israel-Hamas conflict. (dpa)
24 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Displaced Palestinians stay in Asda prison in Khan Younis after the Israeli army ordered them to leave their homes in the towns of Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma'an, Al-Zana and a number of other villages, amid Israel-Hamas conflict. (dpa)
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With Nowhere Else to Hide, Gazans Shelter in Former Prison

24 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Displaced Palestinians stay in Asda prison in Khan Younis after the Israeli army ordered them to leave their homes in the towns of Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma'an, Al-Zana and a number of other villages, amid Israel-Hamas conflict. (dpa)
24 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Younis: Displaced Palestinians stay in Asda prison in Khan Younis after the Israeli army ordered them to leave their homes in the towns of Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma'an, Al-Zana and a number of other villages, amid Israel-Hamas conflict. (dpa)

After weeks of Israeli bombardment left them with nowhere else to go, hundreds of Palestinians have ended up in a former Gaza prison built to hold murderers and thieves.

Yasmeen al-Dardasi said she and her family passed wounded people they were unable to help as they evacuated from a district in the southern city of Khan Younis towards its Central Correction and Rehabilitation Facility.

They spent a day under a tree before moving on to the former prison, where they now live in a prayer room. It offers protection from the blistering sun, but not much else.

Dardasi's husband has a damaged kidney and just one lung, but no mattress or blanket.

"We are not settled here either," said Dardasi, who like many Palestinians fears she will be uprooted once again.

Israel has said it goes out of its way to protect civilians in its war with the Palestinian group Hamas, which runs Gaza and led the attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the latest conflict.

Palestinians, many of whom have been displaced several times, say nowhere is free of Israeli bombardment, which has reduced much of Gaza to rubble.

An Israeli air strike killed at least 90 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in the Al-Mawasi area on July 13, the territory's health ministry said, in an attack that Israel said targeted Hamas' elusive military chief Mohammed Deif.

On Thursday, Gaza's health ministry said Israeli military strikes on areas in eastern Khan Younis had killed 14 people.

Entire neighborhoods have been flattened in one of the most densely populated places in the world, where poverty and unemployment have long been widespread.

According to the United Nations, nine in ten people across Gaza are now internally displaced.

Israeli soldiers told Saria Abu Mustafa and her family that they should flee for safety as tanks were on their way, she said. The family had no time to change so they left in their prayer clothes.

After sleeping outside on sandy ground, they too found refuge in the prison, among piles of rubble and gaping holes in buildings from the battles which were fought there. Inmates had been released long before Israel attacked.

"We didn't take anything with us. We came here on foot, with children walking with us," she said, adding that many of the women had five or six children with them and that water was hard to find.

She held her niece, who was born during the conflict, which has killed her father and brothers.

When Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7 they killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the air and ground offensive Israel launched in response, Palestinian health officials say.

Hana Al-Sayed Abu Mustafa arrived at the prison after being displaced six times.

If Egyptian, US and Qatari mediators fail to secure a ceasefire they have long said is close, she and other Palestinians may be on the move once again. "Where should we go? All the places that we go to are dangerous," she said.