Palestine Ambassador to Kenya Hazem Shabat has accused Israel of provoking the deadly attack by Hamas militants that has resulted in the deaths of dozens of people since Saturday.
In an interview with Spice FM on Tuesday, October 10, Shabat claimed Israel has been violating the rights of Palestinians for decades, "bombing their homes and killing innocent civilians."
He said this has radicalised some Palestinians in Gaza, who have launched rockets and infiltrated Israeli territory in retaliation.
"It is very tragic and disturbing what is happening. I blame Israel for it. I don't care who pulled the trigger, but who pushed them to do it," he said.
The ambassador's statement comes even as the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki condemned the attack by Hamas against Israeli towns and called for an immediate end to the hostilities.
He also reaffirmed the AU's solidarity with the Palestinian people and their legitimate quest for an independent and sovereign state.
Earlier in the week, President William Ruto called for a ceasefire, saying Kenya would stand with Israel against terrorism. Ruto also expressed concern over the rising number of civilian casualties in the conflict.
Shabat also accused some Western countries and media of bias towards Israel and "blocking the Palestinian narrative".
He claimed mainstream Western media had made it part of their mission to block Palestinian posts on social media platforms such as Facebook.
"They always tackle the issues from Israel's rights, but Israel is a violator too," he said.
The envoy further said Palestinians had nothing to do with the fight and that they were the first to welcome Jewish immigrants into their homes.
Palestine had no issues until Britain decided to make a home for the Jews in Palestine without consulting them, he added.
"We Palestinians have nothing to do with the fight. We were the first people to receive Jewish immigrants into our homes, villages, and towns. We had no issues. It was when the numbers became overwhelming that we started hearing Britain saying it would make a home for the Jews in Palestine. Then we started worrying, but before that, nobody even complained," he added.
Israel was caught off guard by a massive and deadly surprise attack from Hamas on Saturday, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and resulted in many others being captured by the militant group.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that the country would respond with a powerful military campaign against Hamas, unlike anything seen before.
The attack by Hamas was the worst that Israel had faced in half a century, according to reports. It involved rockets, drones, tunnels, and suicide bombers that targeted civilians and soldiers alike.
Hamas also seized more than 100 hostages, including Israelis, foreigners, and soldiers, which led Netanyahu to declare a state of war.
