In a joint statement, 111 Arab and international civil society organizations and coalitions, expressed strong condemnation of the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The organizations stated that the ongoing, disproportionate attacks on Gaza’s protected civilians by the Israeli forces constitute a war crime.
As an occupying power, the Israeli occupation bears the legal responsibility to ensure the protection of the lives and livelihoods of the protected Palestinian civilians during times of war.
They emphasized that the international community has consistently expressed its condemnation of the Israeli violations of basic human rights for Palestinians. Nevertheless, the far-right Israeli government continues its violent aggression without restraint and without facing any deterrence.
The long-standing siege on Gaza has caused severe humanitarian crises, further hardening the conditions for the Palestinian population and intensifying their determination to seek freedom, justice, and the end of the blockade, the organizations added.
Recent attacks by the Israeli occupation forces have forced tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens in Gaza to become internally displaced, taking refuge in UNRWA schools.
The Israeli occupation also cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, resulting in painful impacts on healthcare facilities. The already strained healthcare infrastructure in Gaza due to the blockade is now under even greater pressure, posing a grave threat to countless Palestinian lives.
The targeting of ambulance cars and hospitals by the Israeli airstrikes is a flagrant violation of international law and has severe health implications. Gaza, lacking essential healthcare resources to effectively respond to such crises, faces more humanitarian consequences.
The statement further noted that the Israeli forces’ attacks on holy sites in Jerusalem have served as another source of provocation. These attacks are sponsored and led by the most extremist elements in the extremist far-right Israeli government, and it is crucial to halt these attacks promptly.
The organizations urgently called on the international community and the United Nations to take immediate and effective action to exert significant pressure on the Israeli occupation to stop its deadly aggression on Gaza and put an end to the forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
They called for the protection of civilian lives and the prevention of further loss of life, immediate humanitarian assistance to address the ongoing aggression and the exacerbating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The statement implored the international community to protect civilians and exert pressure on the occupying government and apartheid regime to comply with international law as outlined in the Geneva Conventions, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which focuses on the protection of civilians during conflicts and occupations.
The organizations denounced the “complicity of some countries under the pretext of self-defence” and stated, “We record the failure of the international community to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes and consider it the root cause of the current situation.”
They affirmed the right of Palestinians to resist the occupation and confront its assaults on their national rights.
Additionally, they emphasized the duty of peoples and conscious individuals worldwide to intensify their efforts to immediately halt the aggression, protect Palestinians, end the occupation, and ensure the Palestinian people’s right to obtain their freedom, rights, foremost among them the right to return, self-determination, and the establishment of their independent state.
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