Nigeria Warns Israel Against Escalating Attacks On Gaza, Wants Fundamental Human Rights Preserved

The Nigerian government has condemned Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, emphasising the importance of preserving the vulnerable civilian population’s fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life.

Nigeria, in a statement signed by her Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, said: “The government and people of Nigeria condemn, in the strongest terms, the onslaught on defenceless civilians currently taking place in Gaza as part of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The latest deadly attacks on the Rafah Displacement Camps in Southern Gaza on Sunday the 26th, which killed approximately 45 people, mostly women and children, are an unfortunate addition to the list of strikes on soft civilian targets with devastating consequences that have now characterised the crisis.

The government went on to say, “As it stands, the Rafah attacks, like the bombing of the Al Shifa Hospital in early April, the serial bombing of schools, particularly in Khan Younis, the March 2024 bombing of the Firas Market and the Nuseirat Refugee Camp Market; the drone attacks on the World Central Kitchen aid staff in April, indicate a most regrettable affront to humanity, which must be denounced in its entirety.”

“Nigeria is thus equally concerned with the safety and well-being of Gaza’s civilian population as it is with the protection of human dignity and sacredness in the enclave. It regrets the already mature humanitarian disaster that has resulted from this unfortunate situation. Nigeria is deeply disturbed by the flagrant disregard for ceasefire agreements, the violation of humanitarian corridors, and the deliberate sabotage of aid and relief efforts.

“Nigeria, therefore, strongly maintains the stance that the fundamental human rights, including and especially the right to life, of Gaza’s vulnerable civilian population must be protected at all costs. We urge all stakeholders, including Israel and Palestine, the UN Security Council, the European Union, human rights groups, civil society organisations, world leaders, and the international community, to work together to end the conflict and protect innocent people on both sides of the divide. No other option will be acceptable.”

Tuggar stated, “While we consider an intervention on behalf of the people of Gaza as a far-reaching contribution to the preservation of humanity and its values, we also reaffirm our belief that the two-state solution is critical to the amelioration of the current situation.”