Nigerian government reacts as Israeli airstrike kills dozens in Gaza

The Nigerian Government has expressed displeasure over the recent Israeli airstrike on civilians in Rafah, Gaza.

At least 50 persons including women and children have been confirmed dead in the attack which happened on Sunday, May 26.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, kicked against the attack, describing it as part of a disturbing pattern of strikes targeting non-combatants in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

“The government and people of Nigeria condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the onslaught on defenceless civilians currently being witnessed in Gaza in the course of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Nigeria is, therefore, as grossly concerned about the safety and welfare of the civilian population of Gaza as it is about the protection of the dignity and sacredness of human life in the enclave.

“The country deplored the already mature humanitarian catastrophe that has developed out of the situation.

“Nigeria, therefore, strongly maintains the stance that the fundamental human rights, including and especially that to life, of the vulnerable civilian population of Gaza must be preserved at all cost,” Tuggar added.

He called on all stakeholders—including Israel, Palestine, the United Nations, the European Union, human rights groups, civil society organisations, world leaders, and the international community—to intensify efforts towards a swift resolution of the conflict and an immediate cessation of violence.

The Gaza war began following an attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.

Hamas also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,984 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.