By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian presidency hailed a joint statement Monday by the leaders of the UK, France and Canada calling on Israel to immediately halt its genocide in the Gaza Strip, describing the declaration as “brave.”
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted the presidency as saying that the statement aligns with its position advocating for “the implementation of a two-state solution, an immediate end to the aggression, the release of hostages and prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the prevention of forced displacement.”
The three countries issued a stern warning to Israel, urging it to immediately cease military operations in Gaza and to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid or face “further concrete actions.”
The statement also condemned Israel’s decision to expand its attacks in the coastal enclave.
The Israeli military has escalated its genocide in recent days, announcing the launch of a ground operation in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.
The presidency also affirmed that “the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the territory of the State of Palestine.”
It also framed the stance of three countries as a call from the international community to end the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
The presidency stressed the need for a political path based on international legitimacy to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It reaffirmed its commitment to having the State of Palestine assume full civil and security responsibility in Gaza, to receive all weapons from the Palestinian group Hamas and other factions, and to uphold the rule of law, national unity and the principles of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and international legitimacy under one government and one legitimate security force.
Hamas welcomed in a statement the joint declaration, “which expressed a principled position rejecting the siege and starvation policies pursued by the fascist occupation government against our people in Gaza, and the Zionist plans of genocide and forced displacement.”
The group described the statement as “an important step in the right direction toward restoring the principles of international law, which the terrorist Netanyahu government has sought to undermine and overturn.”
Israel has continued to impose a systematic starvation policy on approximately 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza by sealing off all crossings to aid shipments that have been stranded at the border since March 2. The blockade has pushed the enclave into famine.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.