Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made another\ncontroversial statement, comparing the Gaza Strip in Palestine to North\nKorea. He claimed that residents in both Gaza and North Korea are\nequally isolated from the outside world, describing the territory as one\nof the few places on earth where the inhabitants cannot leave.<\/p>\n
The comments were made during a Hebrew-language podcast while\ndiscussing the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israeli attacks.\n\u2018In my opinion, there are only two countries in the world where the\npeople cannot leave. One is North Korea, and the other is not a country.\nBut actually, that place was once a country. That place is the state of\nPalestine. Yes, that is the reality,\u2019 Netanyahu said, referring to the\nGaza Strip. \u2018The residents of Gaza are forbidden to leave,\u2019 he\nadded.<\/p>\n
The war has left millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip homeless.\nHowever, most of them remain and are forced to live amidst the ruins or\nrubble of destroyed buildings. Israel itself has blockaded the Gaza\nStrip, both by land and sea, for nearly 15 years, long before the\nfull-scale war in the Palestinian enclave began in October 2023. During\nthe blockade, Israeli forces have only allowed a limited number of\nPalestinians to enter and exit the territory.<\/p>\n
In the podcast, Netanyahu linked the situation to the refusal of\nthird-party countries to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza. He\nclaimed that accepting the refugees has been deemed as effectively\naiding Israel\u2019s objectives. \u2018People are simply not allowed to leave\nGaza. Countries say, \u2019No, we will not accept them, because that would\nhelp Israel\u2019,\u2019 Netanyahu said. \u2018I ask: What about helping the residents\nof Gaza? Why do they not have the same basic right as billions of people\naround the world?\u2019<\/p>\n
Israel launched a massive military campaign in Gaza in October 2023.\nAccording to data cited from the Palestinian Health Ministry, the\nIsraeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of 73,375 Palestinians in\nGaza since 7 October 2023, up to 3 August 2026. A further 174,220 people\nhave been wounded, with the death toll expected to be higher as many\nremain buried under the rubble.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/netanyahu-compares-gaza-to-north-korea-claims-residents-cannot-leave-1785855253", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }