Bangladesh mourns for Palestinians

Bangladesh observed a day of state mourning yesterday for Palestinians killed in recent Israeli attacks, making it one of a few countries in the world to do so.

To mark the loss of lives, including that of women and children, national flags were hoisted at half-mast atop offices of all government, semi-government, autonomous, educational institutions, and Bangladeshi missions abroad.

About 3,000 Palestinians have perished since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, when Israel launched a deadly counter-offensive.

Following the blast at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on October 17, which killed at least 471 people, Palestine observed a three-day period of state mourning.

Turkey also showed solidarity by observing three days of state mourning that ended yesterday.

Similarly, Egypt also observed three days of state mourning that concluded yesterday.

Immediately following the hospital blast, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen addressed an open-ended extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Executive Committee, and, in his speech, urged the United Nations Security Council to hold Israel accountable for war crimes.

The foreign minister pointed out that the war is disproportionate and Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza is a “collective punishment of Palestinians”.

Prior to this, on October 12, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on the international community to stop the ongoing wars, including the one against Palestine, as the common people ultimately suffer from these conflicts and the arms race.

On October 8, Dhaka put out a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire to save innocent lives from being sacrificed on both sides.

Dhaka iterated that it supported the two-state solution, with both Palestine and Israel existing as autonomous states, because as long as Israeli occupation exists, there will always be turmoil in the region.

Bangladesh has always maintained a firm stance on Palestine, demanding an end to the apartheid regime.

On September 22, before the recent flare-up in Israel and Palestine, Sheikh Hasina spoke at the 78th United Nations General Assembly and demanded that the rights of Palestinians be respected.

“This year also marks the 75th anniversary of Nakba – the catastrophe inflicted upon the people of Palestine. It is deeply troubling that the legitimate rights of Palestinians have remained unmet. We will continue our efforts to realise the rights of the people of Palestine. Bangladesh will stand by Palestine,” she said.

Out of 193 United Nations members, only 138 countries officially recognise Palestine as a state. Bangladesh has extended this recognition since November 1988, when Palestine declared its independence.

The US embassy in Dhaka flew the US flag at half-staff on the day to mourn every innocent life lost in Palestine.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We mourn civilians of every faith and every nationality who have been killed in the conflict.”

It may be noted that the US does not officially recognise Palestine as an independent state.