Miseries in Gaza trample upon international justice: spokesman

What is happening in Gaza has breached the bottom line of human morality and conscience and trampled upon international righteousness and justice to the extreme, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday. Lin made the remarks in response to reports that mass graves with hundreds of bodies were discovered at Nasser Hospital and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza not long ago, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the reports and called for an independent investigation into the case.

"China noted the media reports. We are deeply shocked and strongly condemn the perpetrators of the atrocity. Vast swaths of Gaza are now left in rubble and over a million civilians are struggling in despair on the brink of death. The fact that this is even happening in the 21st century is an outrage to the moral conscience of humanity, and tramples on the most fundamental aspect of international justice. More than 200 days have passed since the eruption of the Gaza conflict. The conflict in Gaza has caused over 100 thousand causalities and displaced over a million. A humanitarian catastrophe that should never have happened continues to unfold before our eyes. The biggest imperative is to put in place a ceasefire as soon as possible. This is the number one overriding priority in Gaza. Relevant country must no longer turn a deaf ear to the call for justice from people with conscience across the world. It must no longer talk about the need of a ceasefire while pouring weapons into the conflict, and talk about aid while creating obstacles for humanitarian access. It must immediately implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions, realize unconditional and durable ceasefire, and take concrete action to end this biggest humanitarian tragedy in the 21st century once and for all," Lin said.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out in a written interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera Media Network a few days ago, the Gaza calamity shows once again that the perpetual denial of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people is the root cause of the Palestinian question, and it is also the core issue of the Middle East question, Lin said.

"China will continue to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with the Middle East countries and the whole international community to firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, firmly support internal reconciliation among different factions of Palestine through dialog, firmly support Palestine's full membership in the United Nations at an early date, and firmly support establishing the independent State of Palestine and realizing 'the Palestinians governing Palestine,'" Lin said.

China calls for a more broad-based, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference to set a timetable and a roadmap for the two-State solution, to promote comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, and to ultimately realize peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine as well as harmony between the Arab and Jewish peoples, he said.

Miseries in Gaza trample upon international justice: spokesman

Miseries in Gaza trample upon international justice: spokesman

Students in Gent, a city in the northwestern part of Belgium, are holding demonstrations on campus to mark the 76th anniversary of Nakba, the massive exodus of Palestinians that occurred in 1948 following the establishment of the state of Israel.

Protesters at Gent University and a number of universities across Europe and the U.S. have been calling on their institutions to sever ties with Israel over its war in Gaza.

The students used a bike parade to mark the Nakba anniversary, with the parade kicking off at the university's UFO building, a site that has been occupied by protesters since May 6.

In a direct action, over 100 Gent students occupied a university building to demand transparency regarding the university's ties to Israel.

Since Monday, more than 60 staff and faculty members have joined the students and set up tents in the building's lobby.

The university's rector Rik Van de Walle said he shared the concerns over the underlying problems in the region, but added that third party collaborators that the university works with are subject to a thorough human rights test.

Protests have been taking place across a number of universities in Belgium mirroring demonstrations that have engulfed some high-profile academic institutions in the U.S. over recent weeks.

And in the Netherlands, the University of Amsterdam has shut most of its campus buildings for two days citing security concerns following protests on Monday.

The occupation in Gent isn't just focused on the situation in Gaza. Students also asked for more concrete steps taken by the university when it comes to its 2030 climate action plans.

"We have clear demands with regards to our university committing to a sustainability plan, clear demands with regards to them cutting ties with Israeli institutions. And unless these demands are met, we are going to continue occupying," said Joelle, one of Gent Students for Palestine.

University officials said that some occupiers have been invited for a meeting with the rector.

For over a week, protesters have been sleeping on tents or on mattresses on the floor. Some people have banged on the windows or ripped down posters, but protesters said they are unmoved though they are missing sleep.

Students in Belgium combine Nakba observance with ongoing climate action occupation