RAMALLAH, Sunday, May 05, 2019 (WAFA) - Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said the ongoing Israeli escalation against the captive Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip is a continuation of the war crimes Israel has been committing against the Palestinian people for the past half a century.

“ Israel has turned Gaza into the largest open-air prison in the world, choking life and hope out of the besieged and occupied territory while indiscriminately bombarding heavily populated civilian areas, including seven residential buildings that were completely destroyed, four houses, three media offices and a mosque, said Ashrawi in a statement.

She added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s assault campaign is a cynical attempt to inflict pain on and terrorize the captive Palestinians of Gaza for political gains during his coalition negotiations. “Targeting defenseless civilians is criminal and morally reprehensible and must be condemned unequivocally.”

We grieve for 13 Palestinians lost since this brutal assault started on Friday, including Falasteen, a pregnant mother, her unborn child, and Saba her 14 month-old baby, said Ashrawi.

“ It is an inexcusable affront to global legal and political order as well as Israel‘s obligations under international law. The blind and amoral support of the Trump administration for the Israeli brutality and Impunity has emboldened such extreme and ruthless military assaults and collective victimization.”

The international community has the responsibility to end this escalation and to protect the rights and lives of two million Palestinians who are under siege and indiscriminate bombardment, without any access to safety or any form of protection, the statement concluded.

T.R.