We urge parliaments, trade unions and peoples to denounce the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the genocidal war waged by the occupying power in that coastal enclave, the Pan-Arab legislative body said in a statement.

It also criticized the failure by international institutions, especially the United Nations, to stop the conflict and the double standards of Western powers.

The Arab Parliament pointed out that more than 8,700 people, including more than 3,300 minors, have been killed in Gaza as a result of the bombings that began 26 days ago.

The Gaza Strip has become a disaster and uninhabitable zone, lacking all the elements necessary for human life, it said.

We demand a stop to the bloodshed and to provide protection to civilians, especially children, women and the elderly, it stressed.

The Arab Parliament also condemned Israel’s military offensive with the argument of self-defense.

What that country is doing in that territory is a total war and genocide typified as a crime under international law, it warned.

jg/arm/mgt/ro