Abdul Fattah Ahmed Khalil Al-Sattari
The Palestinian Ambassador to Ghana, Abdul Fattah Ahmed Khalil Al-Sattari, has condemned the ongoing killing of journalists in Gaza, asserting that the attacks are deliberate attempts to prevent the international community from uncovering events in Palestine.
Speaking at a vigil held at the forecourt of the International Press Centre in Accra, Ambassador Al-Sattari described the attacks as “systematic genocide” by Israeli forces who targets not only journalists but also non-combatants, including women and children.
He said, “When Israel killed the journalists, they want to kill the truth. The Israeli occupation seeks to continue apartheid, genocide, and a modern-day holocaust against my people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
He pointed out that despite claims from the Israeli government that its actions are part of a conflict with Hamas, the vast majority of victims are civilians and were not militants.
“What about the 25,000 children that Israel killed? They are not Hamas. What about more than 12,000 women. They are not Hamas. What about the schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, and churches that were bombed? This is not war, it is genocide,” he stressed.
The Ambassador also stated that apart from about 279 journalists killed in the last 700 days, about 80% of houses belonging to Palestinians have also been destroyed, while commending Ghanaian journalists for their support to the State of Palestine.
“To our journalists in Gaza, you are not alone. Ghanaian journalists stand with you, we thank President John Mahama, who has sent some support to my people,” he noted.
Lyla Adwan Kamara, a leading member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement in Ghana, called for urgent international action to end what she termed as “the extermination of the Palestinian people.”
She also called on civil society organisations to take stronger action against Israel, who have continuously attacked Gaza, citing recent airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza where five journalists from Reuters, Associated Press, and Al Jazeera were killed while covering events live.
Present at the vigil were some members of the diplomatic community in Ghana, as well as journalists who also shared solidarity messages on the difficulties facing Palestinians.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah