Ramallah: Palestine Monday summoned a Hungarian diplomat in protest of hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an ICC arrest warrant against him for war crimes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates summoned the head of Hungary's Representative Office, Diczh¡zi G¡bor, to express their discontent with Hungary's welcoming of Netanyahu, who faces charges from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Adel Atieh, the Director of the European Department within the Ministry, communicated to G¡bor that Palestine views Hungary's actions as a grave act of complicity with Israel. This move, they argue, only serves to encourage Israel to continue its acts of genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians with impunity. Atieh emphasized that Hungary's decision to withdraw from the ICC, following Netanyahu's arrival in Budapest for a state visit, does not absolve it of its obligations under international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This stance is especially pertinent given the ongoing severe Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians.
The situation escalated further as Israel unilaterally ended the Gaza ceasefire agreement and resumed its attacks on the Strip on Tuesday, March 18. This renewed aggression involved a series of devastating airstrikes across the Strip, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, including over 100 children. Medical sources have reported a death toll of 1,391, with 3,434 others wounded. Emergency teams continue their efforts to recover victims still trapped beneath the rubble.
Concerns are mounting over the worsening humanitarian situation in the Strip as the siege continues, impeding the entry of essential medical and humanitarian aid. Since October 2023, Israel's military campaign on the Strip has claimed the lives of 50,752 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 115,475 others. Additionally, at least 10,000 people remain unaccounted for, presumed dead under the debris of their homes throughout the Strip.
The aggressive actions by Israel have also led to the forced displacement of nearly two million people from the Gaza Strip. The majority of the displaced have been pushed into Rafah, a densely populated city near the Egyptian border, marking the largest mass exodus Palestine has seen since the 1948 Nakba.
