Head of the Popular Committee against the Siege Jamal Al-Khudari has stated that Israel’s closure of the crossings is a form of “collective punishment” that contradicts international law, which obliges Israel, as an occupying power, to facilitate the movement of citizens and crossings without any obstacles, Al-Quds newspaper reported on Sunday.
According to the newspaper, Al-Khudari issued a statement saying that this closure tightens the blockade and is considered a clear targeting of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the siege and Israel’s aggression, thus doubling the suffering of Gaza’s residents who had hoped that the coming days would witness the beginning of the reconstruction process and the end of the siege and suffering.
The head of the popular committee pointed out that Israel’s dangerous decision to tighten the siege and close the crossings comes as one of a series of steps against Al-Aqsa holy Mosque and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
Al-Khudari appealed to the United Nations and the European Union to put pressure on Israel to open the crossings, expand access to them and allow for the entry of reconstruction materials without limiting the amount to a certain quantity, in order to meet the needs of the Palestinian citizens who have been displaced and badly affected by Israel’s aggression.