• New Left party urges international community not to stay silent

ATHENS

Greek opposition parties on Tuesday slammed renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza as a violation of international law.

“The masks are falling and it is proven once again that the real goal of Israel and its allies is the annihilation of the Palestinian people from the region and the burial of the prospect of creating an independent Palestinian state, as is evident from (US President Donald) Trump's recent statements, which essentially foreshadowed today's massacre,” said the Greek Communist Party in a statement.

Citing last week’s trilateral meeting in Athens between Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration, and Israel, in which the parties agreed to further improve ties, the party said the government bears responsibility for the Israeli attacks.

“The people of Palestine are not alone! Now is the time to strengthen the solidarity of the Greek people and the demand to cease all cooperation between Greece and Israel, for Greece to recognize the independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the unanimous decision of parliament that governments have kept locked away in drawers since 2015,” it added.

The New Left party also strongly condemned Israeli bombings targeting civilians in densely populated areas, saying: “The criminal government of Israel is unilaterally ending the January 19 ceasefire while continuing its crimes against the Palestinians.”

“The international community, and especially the EU, cannot remain silent again or limit itself to rhetorical appeals, while international law is being blatantly violated,” it added.

Calling for an immediate ceasefire leading towards a lasting solution, recognizing the legitimate and lawful rights of Palestinians, the party said: “The New Left stands in solidarity with the long-suffering Palestinian people. The ceasefire must be supported and endured, the impasse in negotiations must be broken, and war criminals must be brought to justice and punished.”

The Israeli army pounded the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 people and injuring hundreds, breaking the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.

Images emerging from Gaza showed that the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night

More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.