House leader urges PH gov't to join calls for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

House Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman has called on the Marcos administration to join the calls for ceasefire between Israel and armed group Hamas.

Hataman was referring to the armed conflict that ensued in the aftermath of Hamas' simultaneous attacks on Israel on October 7 where over 1,000 people were killed. Since then, Israel has launched an unrelenting retaliatory offensive on the Gaza strip which is largely governed by Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

"I call on my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join calls for an end to the violence. I believe this august body can encourage governments including our own to take a strong position against the continued violence against innocent civilians caught in the crossfires of the conflict,” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said in a statement.

"Saksi ang buong mundo sa mga epekto ng karahasan sa Israel-Hamas conflict lalong lalo na ang mga namamatay at nasugatang inosenteng sibilyan, pati ang mga bata, kababaihan at matatanda. Nananawagan tayo para sa pagtatapos ng gulong ito at pagtahak ng mas mapayapang paraan ng pagtugon sa ugat ng digmaan," he added.

(The world is a witness to the violence amid the Israel-Hamas conflict that is killing and causing injury to civilians, including women and children. We call for the end of this war and peaceful means in solving the root causes of this conflict.)

Hataman also called for the immediate and unimpeded access to international humanitarian agencies in the affected communities, especially in Gaza, to provide relief and medical care to civilians.

"We urge the international community of nations to work collaboratively towards a permanent and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We believe in peaceful resolution of conflict, and we have proven this in Bangsamoro," he said.

He was referring to the 2014 peace agreement inked between the Philippine government and the former separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has since paved the way for the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. The law established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which enjoys land and water jurisdiction, fiscal autonomy, and an increased share in national government resources, among others.

"We call upon the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to return to the negotiating table to seek a just and lasting peace in the region," Hataman said.

At present, Israel has imposed a total blockade on the Gaza strip to prevent Hamas from breaching Israel's borders just like what happened on October 7.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/885007/israel-lifting-blockade-on-gaza-not-in-plan-currently/story/

The Israeli blockade, however, has been criticized by the United Nations and human rights and aid groups, saying this will deprive 2.3 million Palestinians of basic necessities such as food, water and electricity supply.

Both Israel and Hamas and their respective allies have also blamed each other over the airstrike that took down a Gaza hospital this week and killed scores of people, including children.

However, reports remain unclear as to whose airstrike leveled the Gaza hospital.

Based on the United Nations estimates, 1,300 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians have died since Hamas' October 7 attacks that came from 15 different locations via land, sea and air.

House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, for her part, said Israel's retaliatory attacks is already a genocide of innocent Palestinians.

In a statement, Brosas scored President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for his "outright support of Israel at a time when thousands of Palestinians are being slaughtered and driven out of their land.

"While some world leaders express their condemnation against Israel's actions, it is disheartening to see the Philippine government offering 'moral support' to apartheid Israel and declaring Hamas as a terrorist organization," Brosas said.

Brosas urged the Philippine government to file diplomatic protests and exert pressure on the Israeli government to end the alleged slaughter of civilians in Gaza.

"Thousands of Palestinians are killed every day right before our eyes.  It is time to reassess the Philippines' relationship with Israel and take a principled stand against these grave human rights violations," she said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News