2024-01-25 21:26:54
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to President Gustavo Petro asking him to make every effort to help in the release of the 136 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
(Read here: Hamas assures that it will abide by a ceasefire if ordered by the International Court of Justice)
In the letter, the Israeli president also assures that among those kidnapped there is a Colombian citizen named Elkana Bohbot.
“I ask you to make every effort to secure the release of Elkana and the other 135 hostages held in Hamas’ terrorist tunnels,” says the letter signed by Netanyahu.
Related topics
The letter, revealed by Semana magazine, is dated January 11 and in it Netanyahu states that “Colombia has a common cause with Israel to fight for the immediate release of the hostages” who were kidnapped on October 7 following the raid. that Hamas militants launched on Israeli soil.
“It has been more than three months since the hostages were brutally kidnapped from their homes and a music festival. Many of these hostages saw their loved ones raped, mutilated, and massacred. Among them is one Colombian citizen: Elkana Bohbot” , says the letter.
On the other hand, in the document, Netanyahu assures that the Red Cross has not been allowed access to the hostages to verify their health status.
“Unfortunately, they have been unacceptably passive,” he adds.
Additionally, the Israeli ‘premier’ reproaches that Iran has “remained relatively untouched by international censorship” since, according to the letter, they are the main financiers of Hamas. Netanyahu even says that Qatar and Turkey provide safe haven to the movement’s leaders “and have not been held accountable” for it.
Netanyahu also called on the international community to put pressure on Qatar to “facilitate the immediate release of all hostages.”
“Much of the discourse surrounding this issue is obscured by moral confusion and deliberate misinformation (…). “Civilized countries must remain united once morest terrorists and their supporters,” the letter continues.
For all this, Netanyahu points out to Petro that “any pressure that can be exerted for this purpose, especially once morest Iran, Qatar or Turkey, as well as once morest the Red Cross, will be invaluable and will help save innocent lives.”
Since the war broke out in Gaza, Colombia and Israel have had disagreements regarding the actions carried out by the Israeli army on the Palestinian enclave where 2.2 million people live.
In fact, Petro has been a harsh critic of the bombings and military campaign in Gaza.
International pressure on Israel
Tensions in the Middle East have risen since October 7, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israeli territory, most of them civilians. In addition, 240 people were kidnapped, of which 136 are still detained.
Since then, the Israeli army has carried out a relentless military campaign in which it has promised to release all the hostages and “eliminate” Hamas’s armed infrastructure in the enclave.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which controls the movement, at least 25,900 people have died in the Strip as a result of the war and bombings. According to these statistics, 70 percent of the victims are children and women. In addition, the UN has repeatedly asked Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to care for Palestinians in the enclave.
By the way, the highest judicial instance of the United Nations will rule this Friday on a request for precautionary measures requested by South Africa to protect the population of Gaza, in the first ruling of the lawsuit filed by South Africa once morest Israel for alleged acts of “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
TIME
1706221018
#letter #Netanyahu #asks #Petro #intercede #hostages #Gaza
