‘Our silence is complicit’ – PN MP says Parliament should also condemn Israel’s actions

PN MP Albert Buttigieg has appealed to his Parliamentary colleagues to break the silence on the actions of Israel in Gaza.

“Malta cannot remain silent! We cannot remain indifferent! There’s no neutrality in front of evil!” Buttigieg wrote on Facebook. “It seems clear that the leaders of Hamas and of Israel have both committed war crimes.”

Buttigieg emphasised that “in the name of thousands of innocent people on both sides” the Maltese Parliament should make its voice heard.

“As the Maltese Parliament rightfully condemned Hamas’s atrocities, it should use the same firm words and determination to condemn what Israel is doing! If not this only shows weakness!” Buttigieg stated.

“Thw wrong remains wrong, irrespective of who commits it. That’s how we remain consistent, and when we are consistent, we are credible.”

Death toll in Gaza surpasses 11,000

Following the attack by Hamas in Israel on 7 October, Israeli military actions have killed 11,078 people including 4,506 children. Another 27,490 Palestinians in Gaza had been wounded according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel had initially reported that 1,400 had been killed by Hamas, but it has now revised the number to 1,200.

The revision was “due to the fact that there were lot of corpses that were not identified and now we think those belong to terrorists … not Israeli casualties”, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said there is “no justification” for the Israeli bombing of babies, women and elderly people in Gaza.

Speaking to the BBC a day after a humanitarian aid conference in Paris about the war, Macron called for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it would benefit Israel.

In response, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Hamas was responsible for the civilian deaths in Gaza.

Israel launched airstrikes on or near four hospitals and a school on Friday, killing at least 22 people, Palestinian officials said.