Photo: Prensa Latina
United Nations, March 11 (RHC)-- Cuba, on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, denounced this Monday the humanitarian situation in Palestine, calling it one of the most painful conflicts in modern history.
During the initial segment of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Legal and Social Status of Women (CSW69), the Second Secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Zonya Rivero, mentioned the unprecedented levels of violence, death and destruction in the Gaza Strip during the last 17 months.
Zonya Rivero lamented the tragic death toll of more than 48,000 civilians and at least 110,000 wounded as a result of the Israeli genocidal aggression against Gaza.
“This brutal Israeli military aggression in the occupied Palestinian territory and the illegal colonial occupation of Palestinian lands continue to cause suffering and pain, while hindering the full enjoyment of human rights,” she warned.
The second secretary of the FMC also highlighted the disproportionate impact that the conflict has had on women and girls, who constitute a large part of the fatal victims.
According to data from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights -- Rivero said -- almost a third of the fatal victims are women. She added that UN Women has warned about the health crisis faced by women in the Gaza Strip, including pregnant women and new mothers.
The representative of Cuba reaffirmed the position of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter in its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian cause and its commitment to support women and girls who resist the occupation.
She also called on the international community to commit to fulfilling its obligations and not allow Palestinian women to suffer this unjust fate.
Rivero reiterated the Group's deep concern over recent statements that show intentions to seize Gaza, forcibly displace the Palestinian people and promote Israeli annexation plans in the West Bank.
The Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter reaffirmed its commitment to support the Palestinian cause, achieve the independence of the State of Palestine and reach a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to this issue.
A two-state solution that allows for the realization of the independence of a sovereign and viable Palestinian State, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“The future of Palestinian women and girls, their comprehensive development and full respect for their sacred history and culture, as well as their central role in society, are an integral part of the foundations of the State of Palestine, vital to overcome decades of relentless acts of violence, oppression and siege,” she argued.
It is our common duty to honor the historical debt to Palestine and to make its inalienable rights to self-determination and independence a reality,” concluded Rivero López on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter.
(Source: Prensa Latina).
