Hamas called Sunday for intensifying relief efforts in the face of Israel's "war of extermination" in the Gaza Strip for over eight months, as Palestinians marked Eid al-Adha despite death and destruction.
In a statement marking the Feast of Sacrifice, the group urged support for "the resilience of our Palestinian people and their defense of their sacred sites," and called for "increased efforts to provide relief in the face of the ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing and starvation."
This year's Eid al-Adha holiday comes amid Israel's continued brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians and caused a humanitarian crisis. Vast tracts of the enclave lay in ruins amid a shortage of food, clean water and medicine.
The latest conflict was triggered following Hamas' Oct. 7 incursion on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people. The Palestinian group also seized 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has left at least 37,232 people dead in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's Health Ministry.
People in Gaza have gone through relentless suffering, nowhere is safe and conditions are deplorable, according to the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees.
