The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, has sounded the alarm over the dire situation in Gaza, revealing that approximately 17,000 children have been orphaned due to the ongoing assault by Israel.
Shawesh made this revelation during a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
“In the occupied Gaza Strip, approximately 17,000 children have been left completely orphaned, with no known relatives to care for them,” he stated.
He further disclosed that the casualty toll has surged, with 29,410 fatalities and 69,465 individuals wounded since the onset of the aggression on Gaza on October 7th.
“Thousands of victims remain trapped under rubble and on the streets, as the occupying army hinders ambulances and civil defense teams from reaching them,” Shawesh added.
According to information from the Gaza Municipality, he lamented the extensive destruction caused by the Israeli military, including the destruction of 42,000 meters of water pipes, 40 wells, and nine water tanks. Additionally, approximately one million square meters of roads have been obliterated.
The Palestinian Ambassador condemned the United States for its perceived double standards, highlighting its veto of a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire despite acknowledging Israel’s response as excessive.
“This marks the third occasion the US has vetoed such a resolution,” he emphasized.
He criticized the US’s actions, accusing it of implicitly endorsing Israel’s “genocidal war” by vetoing resolutions aimed at halting the conflict.
Shawesh underscored that such policies make the United States complicit in the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war atrocities committed by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.
The conflict erupted when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7th, resulting in approximately 1,160 fatalities in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
Hamas claims over 29,000 casualties, predominantly women and children, in Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Israel has issued warnings that unless Hamas releases all hostages, it will continue its offensive throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including in Rafah.
