RAMALLAH, Palestine

Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said on Saturday that Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which is now in its 11th month, is aimed at "exterminating and displacing" Palestinians from their land.

In a statement on X following a meeting with the Turkish Consul General to Palestine Ismail Cobanoglu in Ramallah, Sheikh emphasized the "need to stop the criminal war in the Gaza Strip that aims to exterminate and displace the Palestinian people, and the need to protect the West Bank from Israeli (settlement) measures.”

He expressed his gratitude to Türkiye, "its leadership and people, for the support it provides to the Palestinian people and its supportive positions towards the (Palestinian) leadership.”

Sheikh also mentioned President Mahmoud Abbas' recent speech to the Turkish parliament on August 15, in which he announced his decision "to go, along with the entire Palestinian leadership, to the Gaza Strip."

The PLO secretary-general announced the formation of a committee to prepare for Abbas's visit to Gaza, noting that "communication has been made with the international community to support this step.”

Cobanoglu, according to Sheikh, said: "All political factions within Parliament applauded him and found the initiative to visit Gaza and Jerusalem an important and bold step."

According to the statement, the Turkish consul general emphasized the "need for Palestinian factions to unite for the sake of the national interest."

In his speech before the Turkish parliament, Abbas declared: "I will go to Gaza. Our lives are not more valuable than the lives of the children in Gaza.”

Abbas invited the leaders of Arab, Islamic, and friendly countries, as well as the UN secretary-general, to join him on his planned visit to "stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza."

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,300 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,300 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi