FILE PHOTO: Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman urged lawmakers from the House of Representatives to join calls to end hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Hataman said many innocent lives have already been affected by the conflict that started when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
“Saksi ang buong mundo sa mga epekto ng karahasan sa Israel-Hamas conflict lalong lalo na ang mga namamatay at nasusugatang 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,” the legislator noted in a statement Thursday.
(The world witnesses the effects of violence in the Israel-Hamas conflict, especially the deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, including children, women, and the elderly. We call for an end to this cycle and a more peaceful way of addressing the root causes of war.)
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Hataman said he plans to file a resolution for such an appeal. He hoped his lower chamber colleagues would support his proposed measure.
“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,” he added.
Hataman’s plea came as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that a fourth Filipino was killed in the raging skirmish between Israel and Hamas.
Estimates from the United Nations indicated that 4,300 people have died due to the conflict – 1,300 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians.
Hataman said the spate of violence is saddening.
Palestinians work amidst the rubble at the site of an Israeli strike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
“The United Nations estimates the death toll at 4,300 Israelis and Palestinians since the conflict reignited last October 7. Nakakapangilabot at nakakapanghina ang mga video na nakikita natin sa balita at social media, lalo na kung ang mga biktima ay mga bata at matatanda,” he said.
(The news and social media videos are horrifying and debilitating, especially when the victims are children and the elderly.)
READ: Israel strikes and seals off Gaza as Hamas vows to execute
Aside from a call to end hostilities, Hataman said they would also call for the unimpeded access of humanitarian groups to both areas to tend to the wounded.
“This resolution will also urge the international community of nations to work collaboratively towards a permanent and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Ang ating bansa ay naniniwala sa peaceful resolution ng conflict, at napatunayan na natin ito sa Bangsamoro,” he explained.
(Our country believes in peaceful conflict resolution, and we have proven this in the Bangsamoro.)
“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. Madami nang inosenteng biktima ang nadadamay sa digmaan. Dalangin natin ay wag na sanang tumaas ang bilang ng mga namamatay at nasusugatan,” Hataman added.
(Many innocent victims are affected by war. Let’s pray that deaths and injuries will not increase.)
READ: Pope calls for humanitarian corridors for Gaza residents
Analysts believe that Hamas’ October 7 surprise strike on Israel heightened Middle East tensions again to levels unseen since the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
Hamas has threatened to kill Israeli captives every time a civilian building is bombed by Israel’s forces, which is believed to have one of the world’s best air defenses.
But questions were likewise raised against Israel, which has been accused of committing rights abuses like extrajudicial killings against innocent Palestinians, who have been merely seeking independence from Israel.
Hamas criticized Israel’s indiscriminate missile strikes, which have targeted buildings housing innocent Palestinians. This week, a Gaza hospital a blast, which Israel and Hamas blamed on each other, killed hundreds.
READ: Israel’s new war cabinet vows to wipe Hamas off the earth