Palestine: Alkarama and 40 human rights organizations launch an urgent appeal to stop the crimes of the Israeli occupation in Gaza
Alkarama and forty Arab human rights organizations have issued a joint statement condemning what they qualified as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against the residents of the Gaza Strip. They emphasized that documented information confirms that Gaza has become a devastated area due to punitive measures taken by the occupying authorities for the past 12 days.
The organizations addressed to the European Union and other international bodies: "We write to you as we witness the fragments of the bodies of children, women, and the elderly after the Israeli airstrikes on the evening of October 17, 2023, at the Al-Mu’madani Hospital in Gaza."
The organizations indicated that the Palestinian health authorities "estimate the number of casualties to be over five hundred, with the majority being children, women, and the elderly." They added "It is crucial to note that this is not the first time hospitals have been targeted, this is the 11th hospital in a series of attacks since October 7, 2023."
They pointed out that this "latest crime is part of a series of severe violations following the declaration of a comprehensive war by the Israeli occupation army on Gaza, manifested by massive, indiscriminate, and violent bombardments on land, sea, and air throughout the region. This has resulted in the death of nearly 4,000 individuals, including over 1,000 children, and the injury of more than 11,000 others."
They confirmed that "violent and brutal airstrikes against the population have destroyed 1,700 residential buildings, towers, and housing complexes. The number of wholly demolished housing units has risen to more than 7,000” residential units.
The organizations condemned the decision of the Israeli occupation government “to cut off water and electricity supplies to the population, close all border crossings, and prohibit the entry of any humanitarian or medical supplies into the area.”
They reported that this "has severely affected the approximately two million people living there, exacerbated by a severe shortage of medical supplies and equipment at hospitals now receiving casualties and fatalities well beyond their capacity."
The organizations added that these "deliberate policies pursued by the Israeli occupation authorities against Gaza will ultimately lead to the partial or complete destruction of its population, amounting to a deliberate act of genocide against the Palestinian people there, in accordance with Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and Article 6 of the Rome Statute. War crimes and crimes against humanity are also being committed according to the provisions of Article 7 and Article 8 of the Rome Statute."
They emphasized that the “absence of accountability and consequences has emboldened the occupying authorities to persist in their extensive violations against the Palestinians. Today, Israel receives encouragement through positions taken by high-level European officials, whether through visits or statements. This is deeply regrettable, as these officials are complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It's well known that all these crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.”
The organizations urged to take all measures to compel the Israeli occupation authority “to cease its ongoing aggression against Gaza and the Palestinian people as a whole and to require it to halt collective punishments such as cutting electricity and water and blocking the delivery of supplies and humanitarian aid. Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court must be urged to initiate an immediate investigation into the crimes of the occupation (…)”
For the whole statement: https://www.alkarama.org/fr/node/24002