Iran vs Israel: We Don’t Want Escalation

The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Nigeria, Abdallah Abu Shawesh, has expressed concerns about the drones and missile attacks unleashed on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran in retaliation of alleged attacks that killed Iranian Generals in Syria blamed on Israel.

The envoy told a news conference in Abuja on Monday that the involvement of Iran in the crisis between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “will complicate the situation” and could affect their quest to seek freedom from Israeli occupation.

He said “we are not in a position to see the escalation of this crisis,” adding that Palestine is already grappling with massive deaths and humanitarian crisis caused by the “genocidal war” Israel is waging against Palestinians in Gaza.

As of April 12, 2024, the envoy said 33,634 persons have been killed and at least 76, 214 wounded in the Gaza Strip, adding that 462 Palestinians were killed in the Occupied West bank and East Jerusalem.

This was apart from 13,000 Palestinians he said were reported missing in Gaza since the start of the ongoing war.

Shawesh quoted Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor as saying that “children are dying at an alarming rate- thousands have been killed and thousands more injured. They do not have access to water, food, fuel and medicine. More than 600, children are trapped in Rafah alone with nowhere safe to go. Their homes have been destroyed, their families are torn apart.”

The envoy disclosed that the war in Gaza has taken a huge toll on the economy of the Palestinian people, stressing that the World Bank and UN joint report stated that the cost of the damage to the critical infrastructure in Gaza is estimated at $18.5 billion, an equivalent to 97% of the Gross Domestic Product of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

He however, sounded confident that despite the initial setback by the US veto, the Palestinian leadership has renewed its request to activate the application for full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.

On Monday, there were indications the face-off between Iran and Israel could lead to war as Israel’s war cabinet got into a heated debate about how and when to respond to the drones and missile attacks on Israeli territory on Saturday by Iran.

Iran said it carried out the attacks in retaliation for the killing of its Generals in a missile attacks in its consulate in Syria, allegedly perpetrated by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied the attacks.

Although most of the drones and missile were intercepted by the Isreali air defence systems, Israel appears ready to hit Iran hard.

The war cabinet said the country is determined to respond to Iran’s attack, but as it convenes Monday afternoon, its members continue to debate the timing and scope of such a response, the officials said.

Israel and Iran have been arch enemies and the Iranian government has always threatened to exterminate the Jewish state.

The situation deteriorated when Israel began its war against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 killing 1,200 people and abducted over 200 others.

Isreal has since devastated Gaza with bombs, bullets and tanks leading to the death of thousands and injuring many more. Millions have been displaced from their homes in Gaza in an escalating humanitarian crisis.

World leaders have called for de-escalation of the Isreali-Iran face-off over the potential threat it poses to the already tense situation in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Although US President, Joe Biden has pledged absolute support for Israel, he however, called for restraint.

China, Spain, Nigeria, Russia and many other countries including the United Nations have all called on the belligerent countries to exercise caution.