Again, Nigeria urges truce in Israel-Hamas conflict as death toll nears 9,000

The Federal Government of Nigeria has again called on the Israeli and Hamas governments to reach a sustainable humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip as the death toll from the conflict has left nearly 9,000 people dead.

The call was contained in a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, on Saturday, October 28.

According to Tuggar, the situation in Gaza is dire and requires immediate attention as a result of the recent rise in violence.

“Women, children, and other vulnerable groups are among innocent civilians that have suffered greatly as a result of the indiscriminate violence and are currently bearing the consequences.

“Parties in the conflict must uphold the fundamental values of human rights and international humanitarian law, which places premium on ensuring civilians’ safety and well-being even in times of conflict,” he said.

Nigeria also called on the Israeli government to grant humanitarian access to the millions of people who have been displaced since the crisis broke out.

He noted lack of water, food, medical supplies, and fuel shortages had compounded the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza region as the Nigerian government also urged both parties to exercise restraint and prioritise the safety and well-being of civilians.

“Indiscriminate attacks that result in civilian casualties must be avoided at all costs.

“The prayer of the Nigerian nation is with those who have lost their lives in the conflict and families that have suffered human and material losses, and also those that are currently recuperating from injuries,” Tuggar said.

Nigeria called for a return to the negotiating table and continued search for peaceful resolutions and implementation of the two-state solution as a permanent settlement of the ‘inter-generational’ cycle of violence, Tuggar added.

Nigeria had on October 7 called for a ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas militants in the latest conflict, which has been described as becoming the deadliest and most destructive of the five wars fought between the sides since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 from the Palestinian Authority.

The fighting erupted on October 7 when Hamas carried out a bloody attack in southern Israel.

Since then, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes that have wrought unprecedented destruction, flattening entire neighbourhoods.

Numbers from the Associated Press (AP) as of October 27 showed that about 1,400 Israelis and 7,326 Palestinians have died in the conflict.

The AP statistics revealed further that 5,431 Israelis and 18,967 Palestinians have been injured, with about 250,000 Israelis and 1.4 million Palestinians displaced.