Doha, Qatar: Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that stopping support for UNRWA would have disastrous consequences for people in Gaza.
During a media briefing yesterday, Al Ansari said that the technical details of ongoing talks for ceasefire could not be revealed while Qatar’s efforts are ongoing to resolve the crisis.
About the impact of the assassinations carried out by the Israel and its targeting of UN offices, Al Ansari said that every escalation on the ground was accompanied by complicating the success of the mediation.
“It is not possible to negotiate successfully with one party, while the other party is targeting every opportunity.”
He praised the important role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in helping millions not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
“Stopping support for UNRWA would have disastrous consequences as it will prevent it from operating in the Palestinian territories ... there are more than 6 million Palestinians who benefit from the relief services of this agency.” He said that Qatar has pledged $100m for providing humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“The situation in Gaza has reached a stage where condemnations cannot keep up with the number of crimes, as the Israeli massacres have become more than what can be condemned on a daily basis.”
He reiterated Qatar’s clear position on the crimes of the occupation, whether targeting civilian objects, hospitals, and schools, or targeting the displaced, or starvation and siege imposed on northern Gaza, and at the same time targeting Lebanon, where more than 2,700 people have so far been killed.
“This is a clear indication of the lack of respect for international human rights law and its value in this war.”
He said Qatar will continue playing its role in ending the crisis by keeping the mediation and communication channels open and supporting all regional and international efforts aimed at stopping the bloodshed despite all the challenges.
He emphasised on the need for international community to take action and not remain silent about atrocities in Gaza.
“We must take a clear position, in order to confirm that the institutions of the international community are still internationally respected and able to do their work with the support of the various powers in the world.”
To a question about constant accusations levelled against Qatar by some section of foreign press for mediating war on Gaza, he said, “We in Qatar have stamina in dealing with such baseless accusations and the negative treatment of the important role played by the state in the mediation framework ... we are not concerned with any reports that contradict reality and do not communicate directly with the mediators, whether in the State of Qatar or in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America.”
He also pointed out that the State of Qatar has completed the humanitarian air bridge to Lebanon by sending an aid plane carrying 23 tonnes and evacuating 207 Lebanese who hold Qatari residency, while another plane will arrive tomorrow (Thursday) at Rafic Hariri Airport carrying humanitarian and medical aid.
