KUALA LUMPUR: Establishing a humanitarian corridor remains a top priority, apart from an immediate ceasefire, in order to assist Palestinans in war-torn Gaza.
Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia His Excellency Walid Abu Ali said that while ending the war in the region should come above all else, channeling aid through either the Rafah (Palestine-Egypt border) or the Erez (Israeli-Gaza Strip barrier) crossing is a must.
"Priority number one is to stop the Israelis; to stop the bleeding and to stop the war. The immediate decision has to be taken to stop this war, this genocide, immediately.
"And you know, as much as I know and everybody knows that this only can happen with serious pressure from the American administration, from those supporters of Israel to convince this terrorist government in Israel that they have to stop their genocide against Palestinians. So that's a top priority. (That's) priority number one," he said, appearing on the New Straits Times' Beyond the Headlines.
"(The) second priority is to facilitate a humanitarian corridor, whether it's through the Rafah crossing point, or through the Erez crossing point. Regardless– the people in Gaza are starving, thirsty and they have no health facilities. So a humanitarian corridor is a must; it needs to be immediately facilitated, to help 2.3 million Palestinians who have been under siege for the last 16 years. They have been suffering since 2007 and the international community has been witnessing their suffering for 16 years. It has become worse since Oct 7 (2023)."
Walid added that Gazans have been made to pay the biggest price since Israelis have attacked Palestinians in the area indiscriminately despite claiming to only be targeting Hamas.
"The Israeli rockets. They do not differentiate between Hamas, Fatah civilians and Gazans, because if you look at the statistics (from Palestine's Ministry of Health) I provided you, among the 33,000, there are 12,000 children who are below the age of 12.
"There are also almost 8000 women. There are elderly people. There are innocent civilian Palestinians."
He said that from the majority of victims so far, 73 per cent of those who were killed or injured were civilians.
"That's where the Israelis are responsible. The israeli government is responsible for this genocide and this massacre in Gaza.
Just yesterday (April 5), international media reported that Israel will temporarily reopen the Erez (Beit Hanoon) crossing with northern Gaza for aid to pass through. It would be the first time since the Oct 7 Hamas attacks.
It came just hours after a warning from United States President Joe Biden for it to take steps to protect civilians and humanitarian workers following the Israeli military's strikes on a food charity's team.
More than 33,000 people have been killed since the Israeli siege and attacks on Gaza began nearly six months ago. It has prompted urgent warnings of an imminent and man-made famine amid a deepening displacement and hunger crisis.
Meanwhile, two weeks ago, trucks carrying aid crossing through Rafah were blocked and remained stuck on Egypt's side of the border. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as a "moral outrage" as Palestinians faced starvation on the other side when he visited the Rafah crossing.
"I have come to Rafah to shine a spotlight on the pain of Palestinians in Gaza," the UN chief said on March 23, addressing a news conference in El Arish, in Egypt's northern Sinai, where much of the international relief for Gaza is stockpiled as Israel continues to block aid from entering.
Watch the full episode of Beyond the Headlines: [EP30] Israel's war on Gaza to hear more from the Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Walid Abu Ali.