Colombia's President Gustavo Francisco
Jorge Ivan Ospina, Colombia’s newly appointed ambassador to the occupied Palestinian territories, says the “world cannot turn a blind eye” to the Palestinian civilians suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Ospina said on Monday that Colombia is willing to provide medical treatment for thousands of Palestinians wounded during Israel’s war on Gaza.
“People cannot die of hunger. They must receive immediate medical attention and must be rehabilitated,” he added.
In his post on Monday, Ospina publicly acknowledged his appointment and thanked Colombian President Petro and Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia and denounced “the genocide that the Palestinian people are suffering today" and working toward the "freedom of those who live there."
The appointment marks a significant step in building on Colombia's official recognition of the State of Palestine in 2018.
Colombia broke diplomatic ties with Israel last year over its genocidal war on Gaza.
Last month, Colombian President Petro slammed the Israeli regime’s “bloody genocide” in Gaza, drawing a parallel between the plights of Palestinians and Jesus Christ’s suffering.
“At the moment of the Passion and death of Jesus, let us reflect on the Palestinian people, from where he came, now under a bloody genocide,” Petro wrote in a post on X.
The Colombian leader has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, and has repeatedly criticized the Zionist regime for its war crimes in Gaza, where about 54,000 Palestinians have been killed.
At least 53,977 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 122,966 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing 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 besieged coastal territory.
