Russia calls US idea to build pier off Gaza 'dances on bones'

Russia, on Wednesday, called  the US intention to build a pier off the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid “dances on bones”, Anadolu Agency reports.

Responding to a question by Anadolu at a press briefing in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, questioned how serious can initiatives be on building infrastructure in a war-torn region.

“These are dancing on bones, mocking people because, now, when civilians are dying there every day, we need to talk about their destinations, and not about some illusory future projects that, in the first place, need peace to be implemented, otherwise we perfectly understand how all this will end.

“When a country does not even want to hear — I am now talking about the United States of America — about even formulating a call for a ceasefire, how can we treat initiatives to build civilian infrastructure where they do not want a ceasefire?” she questioned.

US President Joe Biden, on Monday, announced plans to set up a temporary pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians, starving due to Israel’s blockade.

READ: European academics condemn Israel’s destruction of education system in Gaza

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since 7 October, 2023 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group, Hamas, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

More than 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,024 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza as a result of the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85 per cent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

READ: Israel’s attacks on Gaza ‘have to stop,’ says Spain’s foreign minister