The Statement of the Embassy and Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Rome in regard to Israel’s military attack on Nuseirat Refugee Camp

The Embassy and Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Rome, in the strongest of terms, condemns Israel’s military attack on the Nuseirat Refugee Camp to free four Israeli captives and as result killing at least 274 innocent Palestinians and injuring more than 400 others.

The Embassy and Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has always been very concise and clear on its stance that any act by any state or non-state actor targeting innocent civilians constitutes an act of terrorism. Hence, what Hamas did on October 7th, where it brutally killed innocent Israelis and took hostages, constituted a clear act of terrorism under international law. As Israel has had the right to defend itself against Hamas and free the innocent Israeli captives, its indiscriminate bombings and killings in the last eight months also constitutes an act of genocide and terrorism under international law.

The ICJ and ICC legal pronouncements, the UN resolutions, the EU member states and other nations’ condemnations, universities and public protests against Israel’s war on Gaza as well as the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state by 145 members of the UN General Assembly and later by three EU member states, are indicative of the fact that the international community wants to put an end to this genocidal war since Israel’s intent from beginning has been to eradicate as many Palestinians as possible, make Gaza inhabitable for Palestinians, and ultimately force their exodus from their homeland Palestine.

What is more alarming is that based on the latest released videos and military/weapon experts’ testimonies, the so called ‘suspended bombs’ by the US Biden administration not only were dropped by the IDF on Tal al-Sultan, but also used in some of the latest bloody attacks on Gaza.

At this critical juncture, as President Biden and his administration are pushing PM Netanyahu and Hamas leaders to accept the Israeli three phase peace plan, the continuation of sending offensive weapons, including the 2000 pound bombs to Israel, which are being used for the destruction of Gaza and killing of it’s innocent Palestinians, is a presumed ambiguity in the US policy as it continues unabated.

The Embassy and Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Rome believes that the policy of seeing the Palestinians as less than human and essentially their existence as irrelevant as well as reducing their entire land to rubble must immediately end. At the same time, we urge the US Biden administration to stop supplying offensive weapons of mass killing and destruction to Israel. Ultimately, it is only the US that can exert necessary pressure on Israel to accept a permanent ceasefire leading to the release of the remaining innocent hostages and ultimately leading to the two-state solution based on 1967 borders.