Iraq, France discuss developments in Gaza
The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad Al-Halbousi, and the French Ambassador to Iraq, Eric Chevalier. Photo: INA
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad Al-Halbousi, and the French Ambassador to Iraq, Eric Chevalier, discussed on Monday the developments in the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian crisis.
The two sides reviewed the bilateral ties, ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, and the importance of proceeding with the strategic partnership agreement signed between the Iraqi and French governments, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, told AFP last week that Iraq postponed the 3rd edition of the Baghdad Conference for economic integration and regional stability, co-sponsored by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to focus on Iraq’s efforts to reach a ceasefire, help the Palestinian people, and end the Israeli aggression against Gaza, according to the French newspaper Le Figaro.
On October 7, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip crossed the border and launched a deadly attack against Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 220 hostages.
At least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 34,000 others have been wounded as a result of Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where the population is 2.3 million, according to Gaza health officials.
Seven UN special rapporteurs—independent experts who keep an eye on human rights—released a statement in Geneva demanding a ceasefire and stating that Palestinians were in danger of genocide, Reuters said.
The devastating Israeli bombing of Gaza sparked widespread protests and condemnations throughout the Middle East, where several Arab countries warned of the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza after Israel demanded that the residents of the Gaza Strip move south or to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Most Arab and Islamic countries, along with Russia and China, are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Washington uses its veto in the Security Council to prevent the issuance of a resolution obligating Israel to stop the ongoing bombing of the Gaza Strip.