Qatar calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon; Pledges additional $100m for Gaza

Qatar has joined hands with other nations around the world in calling for peace and calm in the region.

Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, Official Spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the country, along with several Arab nations, had called on USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, and various European Union countries for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

“The situation between Lebanon and Israel, since October 8, is intolerable and poses an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation,” he said during the weekly media briefing.

He added that since the outbreak of the conflict in Lebanon, communication with all parties and regional partners has been ongoing to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire.

“The attack on Lebanon is unjustifiable, representing a full-scale war rather than a so-called limited escalation, with over 600 people killed within two days, a number that accounts for 50 percent of the casualties from the 2006 war, which lasted a full month,” he said.

He said that the international community must act to stop this war and urged the parties involved to cease fighting, especially since there is a consensus that the escalation was leading to an unacceptable cycle of violence that cannot be ignored.

On Gaza, he said that preventing aid from entering the region constituted a fully-fledged crime.

“Recently, a statement from 15 relief organisations reported that Gaza’s residents are consuming only one meal a day due to delays in aid entry. These organisations highlighted that 83% of essential food aid is being blocked from reaching the besieged strip due to border closures.”

Dr. Al Ansari noted that these actions as deliberate starvation and the use of food and medicine as weapons in the conflict, which primarily affects innocent civilians, including women and children. He warned that this matter could be repeated in Lebanon and other regions unless the international community takes a decisive stance and holds Israel accountable.

Meanwhile, Qatar announced a further $100m pledge as part of its response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, including backing the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, who addressed a Ministerial Meeting for Key Partners in Support of UNRWA at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, called for a unified international community stance on UNRWA, a key humanitarian assistance provider in Gaza amid adverse systematic measures by the Israeli government.

Al Khater expressed Qatar’s pride in being one of the first countries to sign the Statement of Shared Commitments on UNRWA, in recognition of the Agency’s crucial role in providing life-saving assistance to Palestinian refugees.

Qatar has continuously increased its donations to UNRWA and was the first Arab country to sign a multi-year agreement with the agency in 2018.

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