We in the municipal council of Hebron strongly condemn the massacres, where in the first 26 days of the war on Gaza that was started by the Israeli military, more than 1,460 people were killed; over 74% are children, women and elderly citizens and more than 8,500 people are wounded; 20% of them are children and the rest are women, elderly, and innocent citizens and the numbers are in an awful daily and even hourly increase.

 

With reference to UNRWA reports, more than 7,500 homes were completely demolished and 290,000 Palestinian citizens were displaced from their homes to be sheltered in organizations, UNRWA schools, public schools and their relative homes. However, even UNRWA schools which housed more than 240,000 innocent civilians and children from their destroyed homes, have not been spared from the aggression and massacres of Israel; 5 of them were “targeted” by missiles and bombs that killed and injured tens of children and elderly citizens. Furthermore, the war on Gaza destroyed 80% of the electric utilities and network infrastructure, the main electricity generating station which needs 1 year to be rebuilt, 8 out of the 10 main electricity supplies, as well as the waste water treatment plant which implies enormous disastrous environmental and health risks. Moreover, 60% of the Water infrastructure was destructed, thus, the water supply (drinking water) to citizens has stopped and there have been continuous appeals from people in Gaza to the people in the West Bank and to humanitarian organizations to provide and supply water to Gaza as a priority.

 

Moreover, the Israeli occupation demolished over 132 public organizations, 54 schools, buildings of universities and colleges, 75 mosques, and 2 hospitals. Those devastating numbers only show the deficit and the failure of the Israeli Government and its strategies which refuses all means of peace and fails to provide Palestinians with the minimum human rights such as freedom of movement, restoring rights of the civilians, stopping settlements building, and lifting the siege imposed on about 2 million citizens in Gaza.

 

Despite the continuous efforts by the Palestinian President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, to put pressure on Israel to stop this brutal war, and the initiatives by the American and UN secretary council general to stop the war temporarily for 72 hours for humanitarian needs (which unfortunately was violated and ended by the Israeli side), we strongly urge all nations to take serious actions and initiatives to stop the war completely in order to stop the daily massacres, protect the rights of Palestinians to live safely and securely and to achieve their right for establishing their Independent Palestinian State on the basis of the UN resolutions.

 

We pray for all wounded citizens in Gaza Strip and the West Bank for a fast recovery, and we highly appreciate the steadfastness of our people and their right to defend themselves when they are attacked by the Israeli occupying forces. Lastly, we appreciate the support and solidarity of liberals around the world to the Palestinian cause.