Around 111 Civil society organizations in a statement called for protecting the Palestinian people, ending the siege on Gaza, and releasing all prisoners.
The civil society organizations denounced the war crimes committed by the army of the occupying state and apartheid against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, such as killings, bombing, and destruction of homes, residential towers, and civil institutions, preventing the entry of fuel and goods, and cutting off electricity to the Gaza Strip. This comes in light of the continuation of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than sixteen years.
Following is the full text of the statement:
The civil society organizations, institutions and coalitions that signed this statement denounce the war crimes committed by the army of the occupying state and apartheid against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, such as killings, bombing, and destruction of homes, residential towers, and civil institutions, preventing the entry of fuel and goods, and cutting off electricity to the Gaza Strip. This comes in light of the continuation of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than sixteen years.
The ongoing Israeli occupation of non-proportional attacks against protected civilians in the Gaza Strip constitutes a war crime. The Israeli occupation, as the occupying power, has a legal responsibility to ensure the protection of the lives and well-being of the protected Palestinian civilians in times of war.
The attacks by the Israeli occupation forces have claimed the lives of over 800 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (including wiping out entire families and the lives of over 140 children and over 100 women).
The international community has consistently voiced condemnation of the Israeli occupation’s violations of Palestinian’s basic human rights. Nevertheless, the governmental occupation has continued to expand unchecked, not suffering any consequences.
The long-standing blockade imposed on Gaza has created severe humanitarian crises. The blockade has left Palestinians in Gaza struggling with dire circumstances, fueling their determination to seek justice and ending the siege.
The recent attacks imposed by the Israeli occupation have resulted in the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens in Gaza, pushing them to internal displacement in UNRWA schools.
The occupation implemented a decision to cut power to the Gaza Strip, causing distressing effects on healthcare facilities. Gaza’s already-strained healthcare infrastructure, due to the blockade, is now further burdened, posing a larger threat to countless lives.
The targeting of ambulances and hospitals by Israel constitutes a violation of international law, inflicting severe health repercussions. Gaza, lacking the essential healthcare resources to respond effectively to such crises, faces further humanitarian consequences.
The Israeli closure of the West Bank, including the closing of the only international border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, and the closure of the various illegal checkpoints in the occupied West Bank, thus isolating entire cities and villages from the rest of the Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, is another example of the systematic violations of Palestinians rights to movement and freedom. Illegal settlers in the West Bank, on the contrary, are granted freedom of movement and travel, indicating an implementation of a two-tier apartheid regime by Israel.
The Israeli occupation attacks on holy sites in Jerusalem have been another source of provocation. These attacks are sponsored and led by the most extreme elements in the Israeli occupation government. The halt of these attacks is of utmost importance.
We urgently request that the international community and United Nations take immediate and effective actions to put significant pressure on the Israeli occupation to stop its offensive actions in Gaza, end the forcible displacement of people in the occupied West Bank, protect the lives of civilians, prevent any further loss of life, provide urgent humanitarian assistance to address the consequences of ongoing aggression and halt the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
We also call on the international community to protect civilians and pressure Israel to comply with the international law outlined in the Geneva Conventions, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention which focuses on protecting civilians during conflicts and occupation.
Additionally, we emphasize the need for an immediate cessation of organized attacks on holy sites, the release of all Palestinian prisoners, and the delivery of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs to their families. We consider the flagrant unconditional support the U.S. and European officials are offering the Israeli occupation while ignoring the plight of the Palestinian people as complicity in Israeli human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including the crime of apartheid. We condemn the collusion of some countries with the occupying entity under the pretext of the right to self-defense. We note the failure of the international community to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes and its impunity, and we consider it the reason for the current situation.
In this context, it is crucial to emphasize the right of the Palestinians to resist the occupation and confront its attacks and violations of Palestinian national rights, It is the duty of people and living consciences around the world to intensify their efforts to stop the aggression immediately, protect the Palestinians, end the occupation, and guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to obtain their freedom and rights, most importantly their right to return, self-determination, and establishing their independent state on their national soil.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA