ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani held a phone call with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on Monday, stressing the need to prevent the Israel-Gaza conflict from spreading to the rest of the region, and the need to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians “as soon as possible.”
The Iraqi premier reiterated Baghdad’s rejection of Israel’s “blatant violation” of international conventions, stating that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip amount to “crimes against humanity” and “genocide”, according to a statement from his office.
Sudani “emphasized that the international community and major powers bear a moral and legal responsibility to halt the war,” while urging the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“The prime minister [Sudani] and I agreed that regional escalation must be prevented, and we spoke about the long-term prospects for peace, with a state for Palestinians alongside a secure Israel,” wrote Rutte on X (formerly Twitter).
I just spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani about the serious situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories. It remains necessary for more aid to be rapidly made available to the innocent population of Gaza and for the hostages to be released as soon as possible. The…
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) November 13, 2023
According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 11,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the Israeli bombardment campaign in retaliation for the October 7 attacks on Israel carried out by Palestinian Hamas militants.
Israel cut off the supply of food, water, and electricity to the Gaza Strip on October 9.
In addition to being subjected to a total power outage, residents of Gaza face communications blackouts that hamper their access to internet services.
The United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency on Monday warned that its operations in Gaza would grind to a halt within 48 hours due to fuel shortages, as no fuel has entered the Strip since October 7.
“Our trucks have run out of fuel - we will not be able to receive aid coming thru [through] the Rafah crossing tomorrow,” wrote Thomas White, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza.
