RAMALLAH, May 18, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian National Council (PNC) declared on Sunday that the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip have gone beyond the scope of a mere military assault, describing them as a clear example of systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide carried out in cold blood, targeting the very existence, identity, and survival of the Palestinian people.
In a press statement, the PNC emphasized that Israel is not only targeting unarmed civilians, but is also engaging in selective, systematic killings of prominent figures in Palestinian society—including academics, doctors, intellectuals, and journalists—in an effort to erase collective memory and strip society of its pillars of resilience and development.
The Council also condemned the recent Israeli airstrike on the surgical unit of the Kuwaiti Hospital in Khan Younis, which rendered it out of service. It described the attack as a crime against humanity and part of Israel's ongoing policy to destroy vital infrastructure and undermine civilian resilience in Gaza, particularly amid the sharp rise in casualties and the collapse of the healthcare system.
Furthermore, the PNC condemned the killing of five journalists in the past few hours, bringing the total number of journalists killed since the beginning of the assault on Gaza to 219. This, the Council stated, reflects a deliberate effort to silence the Palestinian narrative and suppress media coverage of the ongoing atrocities.
PNC Chairman Rawhi Fattouh affirmed that these actions constitute flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. He called for immediate international intervention, urging the European Union to reconsider its agreements with the occupying power, especially the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which requires respect for human rights.
The Council demanded comprehensive political and economic sanctions, including halting bilateral cooperation, freezing trade agreements, banning arms exports to Israel, and imposing a full boycott of illegal Israeli settlement products.
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