DOHA: Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine, highlighting the devastating impact on education and the resurgence of polio in the region.
"We are deeply troubled by the 'educide' that is being perpetrated in Palestine, and anywhere else in the world.
"The bloodletting committed against students and teachers and the destruction of educational institutions in Palestine are a tragedy of epic proportions and must never be ignored", she said at the 5th Observance of the United Nations International Day to Protect Education from Attack conference here today.
In addition to the devastation of the education system, she said, a new health crisis was emerging in Gaza, where polio has resurfaced.
Azizah said tens of thousands of children under 5 were at risk of contracting polio, a disease once thought to be eradicated.
"Now we have the reemergence of polio in Gaza, a cruel twist of fate in a place so fragile and vulnerable."
Calling on the international community to act, she urged participants of the conference to unite and make a collective statement against the atrocities in Palestine.
"Let us bring our collective voice to bear on the injustices faced by teachers and students in Palestine and anywhere else. Together, our voices can resonate globally, demanding an end to mindless violence."
The former deputy prime minister was among the speakers at the conference's "Education in Peril: The Human Cost of War" high-level panel led by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Nasser.