PM condemns Israeli attack on Gaza hospital

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has denounced the Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza that killed innocent people including children, reiterating her call to global leaders to stop the war and arms race for the wellbeing of mankind.

"We saw the killing of people and children by the bombing of a hospital (in Gaza by Israel) and the blood-stained faces of the children yesterday. I am urging the world leaders to stop the war and arms race," she said.

The prime minister was addressing a programme marking Sheikh Russel Day-2023 and the distribution of Sheikh Russel Padak-2023 and Smart Bangladesh Padak-2023 coinciding with the 60th birthday of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Russel Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division jointly organized the programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here.

The prime minister said the war and arms race never brought welfare for mankind except destruction and the women and children are the worst sufferers of the conflicts.

"We want peace as it gives prosperity while the war brings destruction. So, we don't want war but rather peace. We always work to establish the peace," she said.

She also said the world witnessed the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war last year and now sees the Israeli attack on Palestine.

People and children are being killed both in Palestine and Israel, the premier said.

In such a way, she said the children are becoming orphans losing their parents and the parents are losing their children in the war.

"We know their pain as we two sisters had become orphans in 1975," she said.

The prime minister said they had seen the dreadfulness of the war for themselves during the War of Liberation in 1971.

"I had seen by my own eyes the bodies lying down at different parts of Dhaka city," she said.

She said she and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were in forced exile abroad for six years.

"Spending time as a refugee, without knowing when we could return to our country, was the most painful. So, we don't want war rather peace" she said.

At the function, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun and five Deputy Commissioners (DCs) from Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Panchagar and Thakurgaon districts received the Smart Bangladesh Padak-2023 from the premier.

Sheikh Hasina also distributed Sheikh Russel awards among the winners of the competitions in different categories including education, painting, sports and culture.

/KN/