Ambassador Almassri Calls for Continued Solidarity with Gaza Victims

By Edward Makuzva

In an impassioned call for global solidarity, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Zimbabwe, Tamer Almassri, has urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The event included a powerful theatrical performance by local arts ensemble Zambuko/Izibuko, whose drama poignantly portrayed the destruction and immense human suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Delivering the keynote address, Ambassador Almassri, voiced profound grief over the ongoing loss of life and widespread devastation in Gaza, lamenting that the continued silence of the international community has only encouraged Israel’s aggression.

Ambassador Almassri painted a grim picture of life in the Gaza Strip a once-vibrant city now reduced to rubble, disease, and despair.

“This kind of solidarity message is very important, at least for the victims who still suffer from the genocide and its effects,” said Ambassador Almassri.

“In Gaza Strip, we lost more than 76,000 martyrs and victims, mainly children and women. We have 170,000 injured.

Israel destroyed all the life significance in Gaza — education, health, hospitals, clinics, streets, homes.”

He revealed that more than two million people nearly the entire population of Gaza have been displaced, with Israel still occupying 54 percent of the territory.

“The disaster is continuous,” he emphasized.

“The Israeli apartheid occupation still prevents the Palestinian people from rehabilitating.

They control the borders and prevent even food and medical supplies from entering.”

A City Denied Life

Ambassador Almassri described Gaza as a society in urgent need of complete rehabilitation.

“All the schools and universities have been destroyed. You are talking about a community that needs to start life again from zero,” he said.

“When we gather here and raise our voices, we are sending a message of solidarity with these victims urging the world to stop the Israeli aggression against civilians who need food, medical support, and safety.”

He highlighted that starvation itself has become a weapon.

“The starvation was one of Israel’s main weapons during the genocide and it continues. The entire Gaza Strip is closed.

No one can enter or leave, not even journalists. So how can we say that the genocide is over?”

Ceasefire in Words, Not in DeedsAlthough a temporary ceasefire has been declared, Ambassador Almassri insisted that violations persist.

“In spite of the ceasefire, the Israeli occupation continues its aggression. Yesterday alone, they killed seven Palestinians in Gaza Strip,” he said.

“Maybe that number sounds small compared to before, but according to our statistics, Israel used to kill 92 people every day.”

The humanitarian impact remains staggering. “We have 18,000 orphans who lost both parents imagine how many more lost one parent,” he lamented.

A Call for Humanity

Ambassador Almassri reiterated that solidarity efforts must continue until Gaza is truly free and rebuilt.

“The genocide will only end when we can remove all its effects when Gaza is open again to humanitarian, medical, and reconstruction aid,” ambassador Almassri explained.

“After two years of genocide, Gaza has become a city of rubble and diseases nothing else.”He called on nations, organizations, and individuals across the world to keep Gaza in their prayers, advocacy, and humanitarian action.

“We must continue standing with the victims and the Palestinian people,” he said.

“Because silence, in the face of oppression, is complicity.”

Meanwhile, ambassador Almassri drew parallels between Israel’s actions and those of the Nazi regime, accusing it of maintaining control over more than 54 percent of Gaza’s 365 square kilometres, even during declared ceasefires.

He praised Zimbabwe for its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, describing the nation as a steadfast beacon of moral support amid adversity.