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ASEAN calls for humanitarian ceasefire, corridor in Gaza
More than 10 Southeast Asian nationals have fallen victim to the escalating acts of violence in the war-torn Gaza City over the past few weeks.
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People inspect the remnants of the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Oct. 18, 2023, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials have blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. (Reuters/Ahmed Zakot)
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outheast Asia’s top diplomats have expressed their “grave concern” over the war in Gaza and urged the creation of a humanitarian corridor as reports of ASEAN nationals becoming casualties in the conflict have continued to emerge over the week.
The only “viable” path to resolve the conflict, the ministers said in a joint statement issued on Friday, was through the implementation of the two-state solution, while calling on the international community to support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
In the last two weeks, the world’s eyes have been set on the Gaza Strip, an area now further embroiled in violence and conflict, following the Palestinian armed group Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered a wrathful military response by Tel Aviv.
Most of the destruction has taken place in Gaza, where basic supplies have run thin given the lack of a humanitarian corridor for evacuation, despite negotiation efforts by various countries. Latest estimates put the number of deaths at over 3,000 people.
Living among the ruins of Gaza are around 2 million residents, including foreign nationals, who have so far had little luck in getting out as a temporary humanitarian ceasefire has not been brokered.
Read also: Aid for Gaza piles up as Israel rallies troops for invasion
Thirty Thai nationals had died in the war-torn area as of Wednesday. The death of a Philippine national was announced the following day, making it the fourth over the past two weeks.
