A man crosses a cemetery during the burial of 53 unidentified bodies in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 13, 2026. (Credit: Eyad Baba / AFP) EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A man walks through a cemetery during the burial of 53 unidentified bodies in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on February 13, 2026. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. (Photo by EYAD BABA / AFP)
“The extermination” of the Palestinian people “must stop,” the chair of the African Union Commission, Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, said Saturday at the opening of the continental body’s 39th annual summit in Addis Ababa.
“In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of these people must stop,” Ali Youssouf said. He was elected to lead the institution in 2025 for a four-year term.
Despite a cease-fire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, hostilities have continued on a near-daily basis in the enclave, where at least 591 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military over the past four months, according to Palestinian officials. A tight Israeli blockade has remained in place, despite the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began following the Oct. 7 attack, at least 72,051 Palestinians have been killed and 171,706 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said in its latest toll released Friday.
The head of the AU Commission also pointed to conflicts across Africa.
“From Sudan to the Sahel, to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay a high price for instability,” he said.
“Silencing the guns on our continent has been difficult to achieve. The political and institutional fragility of a number of our countries concerns us. Open or simmering conflicts are becoming chronic,” he added.
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