Kuwait reiterated its unwavering and ongoing support for the Palestinians’ cause until their rights are fully realized. This stand was expressed by Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah during her speech at the 23rd session of the Independent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Sheikha Jawaher Al-Sabah affirmed the commitment of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and the people of Kuwait in leading the support for Palestinian rights. The statement emphasized that Kuwait strongly praised the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision, which called for an immediate ceasefire and the ending of military operations by the occupying forces.

Kuwait also urged compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720 and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Al-Sabah confirmed that the State of Kuwait, through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), had provided around $200 million by April to finance vital projects in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, she mentioned Kuwait’s continued support for the efforts of international organizations amid the tragic conditions in the Gaza Strip, particularly through supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) with $30 million to carry out its humanitarian role.

Al-Sabah highlighted the significant participation from Kuwaiti institutions and companies, as well as the notable involvement of 60 embassies accredited to Kuwait. Furthermore, she explained the popular campaigns that were arranged to support people in Palestine, including the launch of a national campaign under the hashtag #FazaaForPalestine. She also emphasized the importance of issuing arrest warrants against the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

She stressed that holding all perpetrators accountable is essential to stopping the repeated violence and the violations of the rights of the Palestinian people. Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights Affairs, headed the Kuwaiti delegation at the session.

The delegation also included Turki Al-Daihani, Counselor at the Kuwaiti Permanent Mission to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Maha Al-Kulaib and Jana Al-Dhafiri, Diplomatic Attaches from the Human Rights Affairs Department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session’s agenda features both open and closed discussion sessions covering a range of topics, with the final report scheduled for issuance next Thursday.

GAZA: Destroyed buildings are pictured in area near the border with the Gaza Strip on July 2, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory.- AFP

New evacuation order

The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees estimated Tuesday that a quarter of a million people had been impacted since Zionist army issued a new evacuation order for parts of southern Gaza a day earlier. “We’ve seen people moving, families moving, people starting to pack up their belongings and try to leave this area,” UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Gaza.

The agency “estimates that around 250,000 people have been impacted by these orders”, she said, adding: “We expect these numbers to grow”. Her comments came after the army Monday issued a new evacuation order for parts of Khan Yunis and Rafah in southern Gaza. The 250,000 number was UNRWA’s estimate for the people in the area of new evacuation orders in eastern Khan Yunis, Wateridge said. “We expect that almost all of these people will move from this area,” she said, adding that the agency hoped to get a better idea later Tuesday of the numbers who have physically left.

Monday’s evacuation order followed mass displacement from large parts of Rafah that began with a similar order nearly two months ago, which signaled the start of a long-feared ground offensive. The fighting since then has again uprooted many Palestinians and led to the closure of a key aid crossing. “This is another devastating blow to the humanitarian response here,” Wateridge said.

“It’s another devastating blow for the people and the families on the ground. It seems that they are forcibly being displaced again, and again.” She pointed out that following the start of the Rafah incursion in May, people had flooded back into the largely destroyed Khan Yunis area. “And now already, because of the orders last night, the same families are having to move again,” she said. “There is absolutely no safe place in the Gaza Strip.” — Agencies