In Eid's Sermon, Qatari Judge Urges Support For Gaza

Qatari judge Thaqil al-Shemmari called on fellow countrymen to express support to the embattled Gaza Strip, even if through prayers only.



"Prayers are one of our [Muslims'] most powerful weapons," al-Shemmari said on Monday in his sermon of Eid al-Fitr prayers in Doha, attended by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad Al Thani and the latter's father, former emir Sheikh Hamad.



"We need to pay attention to Muslims' causes and show support for our brothers," the judge added.



He also lauded "the heroic acts" of the Palestinian resistance fighters in the face of Israeli "tyranny."



Israel, he said, "does not respect any divine, humanitarian or international laws…We see entire neighborhoods destroyed and mosques razed," he added.



Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip - which has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2006 - from air, ground and sea since July 7, leaving 1035 dead and 6233 injured and destroying hundreds of homes.



Israel claims that the military offensive aims at undermining the ability of Gaza's resistance movements to launch rocket attacks.



The Israeli offensive – codenamed "Protective Edge" - is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely populated Gaza Strip - home to 1.8 million Palestinians - within the last six years.



By Ahmed al-Masri



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Doha