The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly denounced the killing of an employee the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the occupied West Bank by an Israeli sniper. This horrific act is in addition to Israel's other crimes and violations that have resulted in the deaths of 220 employees of the agency in the Gaza Strip. The Ministry also emphasized the importance of holding those accountable for these crimes and making sure they face consequences.
The Ministry's spokesperson, Ambassador Sufian Qudah, emphasized the Kingdom's utter rejection and strong condemnation of this crime, which is a flagrant and serious violation of international humanitarian law and international law, particularly the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and Security Council resolutions regarding the protection of UN and associated personnel, civilians, and vital facilities the most recent of which is Resolution No. 2730 (2024) that emphasize the necessity of ensuring the protection of civilians, humanitarian facilities, and shelters.
Ambassador Qudah emphasized the necessity of stopping Israel's dangerous escalation of its actions in the occupied West Bank and its attacks on the occupied Palestinian territories. If Israel's violations in the West Bank and its aggression on the Gaza Strip continue, he warned that the situation in the region will explode.
Reiterating his appeal, Ambassador Qudah called on the international community to uphold its moral and legal obligations, force Israel to halt its ongoing violations, cease its aggression against Gaza, and halt the dangerous escalation in the West Bank; provide the Palestinian people with the protection they need; and make a concerted effort to realize their legitimate rights to freedom and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on June 4, 1967 lines with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.