Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh.
By ESTHER ALEXANDER, Abuja –
The State of Palestine has vowed that it would continue to resist Israeli’s efforts to remove them from their lands amid the genocide war in Gaza strip .
“The Palestinian people will continue to resist the Israeli occupation. There is nothing more moral, legitimate, and just than this”, The Palestine Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, said in a statement to commemorate the 76th year of Al-Nakba.
According to him “Yesterday May 15, the Palestinian people worldwide marked the 76th year of Al-Nakba that took place between 1947 and late 1948. During this time, European Jewish military gangs ethnically cleansed and forcibly uprooted the indigenous Palestinian people from their ancient land of Palestine. This was a result of a systematic and pre-engineered series of more than 70 massacres, with the most prominent being Deir Yassin.
“Al-Nakba means that over 15,000 Palestinians were martyred. 950,000 Palestinians became refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza, with 531 Palestinian villages and towns out of 1,300 completely erased.
“Today, 5.8 million Palestinian refugees are registered. Numerous pieces of evidence, such as mass graves, mass destruction, and other atrocities committed by the Zionist armed gangs during Al-Nakba, are still being revealed. We must remember Al-Tantura.
Mr. Shawesh, further, revealed that on the 223rd day of the frenzy genocidal war against the Palestinian people, no fewer than 45,091 martyrs have been recorded including 15,103 children, 9,961 women, 142 journalists and 492 medical staff with about 10,000 missing persons.
He added that 78,404 persons have been wounded and injured, with 72% of the victims being children and women. 17,000 children live without one or both of their parents.
According to him, “243 mosques destroyed and 321 partially damaged. 3 Churches targeted and destroyed, 86,000 housing units completely destroyed and 294,000 partially damaged. 103 schools and universities destroyed. 206 archaeological and heritage sites destroyed, 75,000 tons of explosives materials dropped on Gaza.
“33 hospitals along with 54 health centers were taken out of service. A total of 160 health institutions and 126 ambulances were targeted by the Israeli occupation.
“11,000 wounded people need to travel for treatment to undergo operations. 10,000 cancer patients face death due to the lack of medical treatment. 1,095,000 are infected with infectious diseases as a result of displacement. 20,000 cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement. Tens of thousands of pregnant women are at risk due to a lack of access to healthcare. There have been 310 cases of health personnel being arrested.
He added that the Security Council members voiced deep concern and called for an independent investigation following the discovery of 7 mass graves containing 520 bodies of martyrs in Gaza hospital courtyards,
Citing the Human Rights Watch, the ambassador said:“Israeli security forces have unlawfully used lethal force in fatal shootings of Palestinians, including deliberately executing Palestinians who posed no apparent security threat, based on documentation of several cases since 2022.”
“Regarding the global student Intifada on campuses around the world, let me remind you that when the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) openly calls for the discrimination and enslavement of African Americans in broad daylight, Western democratic countries describe it as constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression. However, when college students express their solidarity and sympathy with the Palestinians, it is labeled as hate speech and anti-Semitism. These students are beaten and harshly treated. Threatened with expulsion from universities, severe sanctions in the future, imprisonment, and facing trial.
“This is the exact meaning of hypocrisy and double standards”, he said.
