Hamas Welcomes Belgium’s Ban on Arms Exports to the Enemy Entity
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has welcomed the Belgian royal decree banning the stopover and transit of aircraft carrying military equipment to the Zionist enemy entity, where such weapons are used against the Palestinian people.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Hamas said that the decree represents a commitment to international law and aligns with the values of human rights and justice, which are being violated on a daily basis by what it described as the fascist enemy government against Palestinian land, people, and holy sites.
Hamas called on all countries to impose a comprehensive ban on supplying the enemy with weapons used in its ongoing aggression against innocent and unarmed civilians of the Palestinian people. The movement also urged concrete action toward isolating this criminal entity and boycotting it politically, diplomatically, and militarily, as well as activating all mechanisms to hold it accountable for crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that aircraft transporting weapons and military equipment to Israel are prohibited from using Belgian airspace.
The decision, which entered into force on Thursday, was initiated by Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and obliges all relevant parties to inform Belgian authorities of the details of any flights carrying military equipment to Israel, according to the daily newspaper Le Soir.
The measure aims to prevent the transfer of weapons and military equipment and to close legal loopholes that previously allowed shipments to pass through Belgium during technical stopovers without unloading cargo.
Belgian customs authorities and the Federal Public Service for Mobility and Transport will be responsible for inspecting these flights.
Prévot stated that Belgium is committed to doing everything within its power to avoid contributing to the “conflict,” stressing that his country respects its obligations under international law and is sending a clear message at both the European and international levels.
This decision comes amid the Zionist war on the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023 and continued for two years, resulting in the killing of more than 71,000 Palestinians and the injury of over 171,000, the majority of whom are women and children, in addition to the destruction of approximately 90 percent of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.