Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela says his country will officially recognise the State of Palestine next month—ending more than four decades of hesitation—while Gaza’s death toll continues to soar.
Speaking at a political event on Sunday, Abela condemned the deepening catastrophe in Gaza, where, he said, over 50,000 people have been killed. “We cannot close our eyes to this human tragedy that is getting worse every day,” he said, referencing Israel’s relentless assault on the besieged enclave.
Abela said Malta would formalise its position following a June 20 conference, describing the move as a “moral responsibility” amid the worsening violence.
Abela also recounted his recent visit to Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, where he met children evacuated to Malta for urgent medical care. His remarks painted a grim picture of a people displaced and devastated by a war that Israel insists on waging with impunity.
During the event, the Prime Minister expressed Malta’s willingness to receive paediatrician Dr Alaa Al-Najjar and her family. While treating patients in a hospital in southern Gaza, Al-Najjar lost nine of her ten children to an Israeli strike, and her husband and son was critically wounded.
Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela (AFP)
