Middle East (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Aid groups urge urgent global intervention to stop Israel’s Gaza City invasion after a UN probe found Israel committing genocide under international law.
The group, which consists of 20 organizations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Médecins Sans Frontières, Action Aid, and Save the Children, warned that if nothing is done, “we are on the precipice of an even deadlier period.”
“What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the UN Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide,”
read the statement issued on Wednesday.
“As the Israeli government has ordered the mass displacement of Gaza City – home to nearly one million people – we are on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza’s story if action is not taken. Gaza has been deliberately made uninhabitable,”
the coalition’s statement continued.
“States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action.”
As Israel moves forward with a ground assault, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims is part of the state’s plan to destroy Hamas, Palestinians have been ordered to leave Gaza City. He has promised to establish complete military rule over the region.
Prior to the arrival of ground forces, the Israeli military reported that artillery and air force units had bombarded the city over 150 times in the previous few days. In places where tent camps were heavily populated, the strikes brought down tall skyscrapers. Israel said Hamas was using the towers to monitor troops.
More than 350,000 people have fled to the south of the Strip in an effort to avoid the incoming shelling, the Israeli army reported on Wednesday. They acknowledged that they had made a second exit accessible.
At least 16 individuals, including women and children, were killed in overnight attacks in Gaza, according to hospital officials. According to Shifa Hospital officials, almost half of them were in Gaza City, including a kid and his mother who perished in the Shati refugee camp.
The Rantisi Hospital for Children in Gaza City was the target of several Israeli attacks Tuesday evening, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
It shared images of the damaged roof, water tanks, and debris in a hospital hallway on Facebook. According to the government, half of the facility’s 80 patients were forced to leave due to the strikes. According to the ministry, 30 medical personnel and some 40 patients including four critically ill youngsters and eight premature babies were still at the hospital.
According to the humanitarian organizations’ statement, Israel’s military assault has murdered almost 65,000 Palestinians since the Hamas killing of about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
“Since the Israeli military tightened its siege six months ago, blocking food, fuel, and medicine, we witnessed children and families waste away from starvation as famine took hold,”
it continued.
“Our colleagues have been impacted.”
The groups referred to their own attempts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, saying:
“Our organisations, together with Palestinian civil society groups, the UN, and Israeli human rights organisations, can only do so much.
We have tirelessly tried to defend the people of Gaza and sustain humanitarian assistance, but we are being obstructed every step of the way.”
Thousands of individuals were shot “while trying to reach a handful of sites where food is distributed under armed guard,” according to the letter, which also mentioned that those in need of assistance were “denied access.”
“Governments must act to prevent the evisceration of life in the Gaza Strip, and to end the violence and occupation,”
they wrote.
“All parties must disavow violence against civilians, adhere to international humanitarian law and pursue peace.”
An estimated one million Palestinians reside in Gaza City, although hundreds of thousands are believed to have remained due to a variety of factors, including the prohibitive expense of relocation.
According to an Israeli military official, the army believes that between 2,000 and 3,000 Hamas fighters are still active in the area and are moving about it via tunnels.
The military stated in a statement that it would keep fighting “terrorist organizations” in Gaza and that it has taken precautions to lessen damage to civilians.
What actions can the international community take regarding Gaza?
Urging all parties, particularly Israel, to put an immediate halt to the hostilities, halt the ground invasion into Gaza City, and broker a sustainable ceasefire. Global diplomatic efforts should aim to bring the parties to a peace table to prevent additional civilian deaths and destruction to infrastructure.
Establishing safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies to deliver supplies such as food, water, medicine, and fuel to the civilian population in Gaza.
Eliminating all barriers imposed by military actions, blockade or administrative barriers which prevents aid from reaching Gaza. Requesting complete compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly civilian entities, medical personnel, hospitals, and clinics should be protected against attack.