“Not against any community or country…”: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Israel-Hamas conflict

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said on Saturday that they are not against any community or country but the people of Palestine should be provided basic rights.

Farooq further said that the people of Israel should also be able to live in peace adding that one-sided decisions cannot be made.

“One-sided decisions can’t be made. We have always felt that a solution for this issue (Israel-Palestine conflict) has to be found. The rights of the people of Palestine should be given to them. We feel that the people of Palestine should be given their basic rights and the people of Israel should also be able to live in peace. We are not against any community or country,” Farooq said while speaking to reporters in Srinagar.

The Congress party on October 9, 2023, passed a resolution during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting calling for a ceasefire.

The resolution by Congress supported the rights of the Palestinian people.

“The CWC expresses its dismay and anguish on the war that has broken out in the Middle East where over a thousand people have been killed in the last two days. The CWC reiterates its long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people to land, self-government and to live with dignity and respect,” the resolution passed by the Congress said.

It further said that the CWC calls for an “immediate cease-fire and for negotiations” to begin on all outstanding issues including the imperative issues that have given rise to the present conflict.

Earlier expressing solidarity with Israel over the rocket strikes launched by Hamas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops are mobilising towards Gaza. Aerial patrolling is also being sent at the Gaza border.

It was recently reported that Israeli soldiers, their tanks and munitions have been deployed near the Gaza border as they prepare for a full ground offensive against Hamas.

In the pictures coming in from the Gaza border, tanks can be seen firing shells towards the Gaza Strip. Moreover, soldiers are seen loading artillery shells into howitzers.

Earlier in the day, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) asked residents of the Northern Gaza Strip to relocate to the southern part of the enclave using evacuation corridors between 10 am to 4 pm (local time), The Times of Israel reported.

The Israeli military said, “If you care about yourself and your loved ones, go south as instructed.” It further said, “Rest assured that Hamas leaders have taken care of themselves and are taking cover from strikes in the region.”

Their message indicated that the IDF could be readying to launch a ground invasion in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7.

However, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to “reconsider” its warning, calling it “dangerous and deeply troubling,” according to The New York Times.

Guterres in an opinion article in The New York Times emphasized that such demand for a mass evacuation on extremely short notice could have devastating humanitarian consequences.

The IDF has confirmed that over 120 civilians are being held captive in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization. Israeli Defence Forces on Saturday said 1300 people have lost their lives and over 3000 have been injured in the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.