Late mayor of al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, Hatem Saleh al-Ghamri (Photo via social media)

Gaza City, April 9 (RHC)-- In Gaza, the government media office has denounced the assassination of the mayor of al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip as a war crime, stating that the United States continues to give Israel the green light to continue its genocidal war against Gaza.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the office condemned the killing of Hatem Saleh al-Ghamri, when Israeli warplanes bombed a council building in the camp the previous day, emphasizing that Zionist occupiers sought to create absolute chaos and exacerbate the sufferings of besieged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through such an aerial assault.

“We are mourning the loss of Ghamri, who used to tirelessly serve Palestinians in Maghazi camp ever since he was appointed to the post, and was busy offering services to the camp residents throughout the occupying regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.  Ghamri was a sincere and loyal official to his homeland and nation."

“The occupying regime’s army brutally and directly assassinated the mayor of al-Maghazi camp and a group of civilians by bombing the council building affiliated to the municipalities of the central governorates of Gaza,” the Gaza media office said.

The office described Ghamri’s killing as a war crime, stressing that it violates all international law, according to which the immunity and protection of civilians is essential.

“This crime marks a new chapter in the occupying regime’s brutal killings against Palestinian people, which is carried out in a deliberate and pre-planned manner.  All relevant institutions and municipalities in the world are asked to condemn this heinous crime; A crime that shows the level of insanity and criminality that the occupying regime has reached,” the statement read.

The Gaza media office held the U.S. administration and the occupying regime fully responsible for this heinous crime, and emphasized that Washington continues to give the Zionist occupiers the carte blanche to perpetrate genocide and target the civil society of Gaza.

Israel launched its atrocious onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, since Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7th.

At least 33,173 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. Another 75,815 individuals have sustained injuries as well.