Iraq condemned on Thursday Israel's renewed targeting of displaced Palestinians' tents in the Gaza Strip.
"With the advent of the new year, at a time when honorable people, the voice of truth, humanity, and conscious minds hope for peace and security to prevail and for peoples to achieve their legitimate rights and basic necessities of dignified living, the Zionist occupation forces have targeted displaced peoples' tents in Al-Mawasi and other areas of the Strip," government spokesperson Basem al-Awadi said in a statement.
Al-Awadi described it as a "clear and repeated step to escalate the conflict, target innocent civilians, and undermine all opportunities for peace, cease-fire efforts, and the delivery of humanitarian aid."
He noted that the "brutal aggression … is a blatant continuation of significant and ongoing violations of international law by the Zionist entity, flagrantly breaching all laws, norms, and rules of armed engagement."
He demanded "unified efforts to save the Palestinian people from the ongoing genocides they face and to avoid further escalation in the Middle East, given the negative consequences for the region's countries and populations."
Thirteen Palestinians, including children and women, were killed Thursday in a new Israeli attack targeting displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area and a civilian gathering in Khan Yunis in southwestern Gaza.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,550 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In 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.
