Derry SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood has condemned the ongoing “mass murder” of Palestinian civilians in the latest series of Israeli air strikes in Gaza.
Mr Eastwood, who toured the embattled region in 2012, said the latest onslaught by Israeli forces shows “utter disregard for human life”.
“This latest bombardment of the people of Gaza in the face of international condemnation shows not only a flagrant disregard for international law but flies in the face of the Geneva convention. It is very clear, and has been for many years, that the Israeli government is knowingly targeting the civilian population of Gaza.
SDLP MLA Colum Eastwood surveys the damage caused to a school by an Israeli air strike during his visit to Gaza.
“Hamas’s indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel is wrong and must stop. However, there is no justification whatsoever for Israel’s murder of hundreds of civilians. The distressing images we are seeing on social media and other channels show the scale of the horror inflicted by these air strikes on defenceless families.
“The international community, and in particular the United States government, need to bring pressure to bear on the Israeli government to cease the onslaught and enter into proper dialogue with all the parties.
“When I visited Gaza in November 2012, I witnessed first hand the plight of the Palestinian people in what is essentially an open prison.
“I saw bombed out buildings, school, sport facilities and residential areas while Israel continually prevents the movement of the supplies needed to rebuild the infrastructure and essential medical supplies.
“The children of Gaza are being denied their basic human rights on a daily basis and are condemned to living in a cycle of fear, death and destruction at the hands of Israel.”
Mr Eastwood concluded: “The depth of the suffering inflicted by Israel was laid bare to me when I stood side by side with survivors of a family which lost eleven members in an Israeli air strike. This latest barrage of death and destruction must stop and stop now.”
