The undersigned human rights organizations commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1977 through Resolution 32/40 B.
This observance comes at an extraordinarily critical moment, as Palestinians—particularly those in the Gaza Strip—face one of the most severe humanitarian tragedies in modern history. The Israeli occupation continues to pursue a policy of widespread destruction, blockade, deliberate starvation, and systematic annihilation of residential infrastructure and essential services.
This day is observed amid a fragile truce, insufficient to end the humanitarian catastrophe affecting more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. The population remains deprived of the most basic necessities: food, water, healthcare, electricity, and shelter. Hundreds of thousands now live in the open or among the rubble, following the complete destruction of entire neighborhoods due to intense Israeli bombardment.
“Hind Rajab”: A Symbol of the Brutality of the Occupation
In accordance with Resolution 60/37 adopted by the General Assembly in 2005, this year’s activities marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People continue and are set to conclude on 4 December with the screening of the documentary “The Voice of Hind Rajab” at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Directed by the Oscar-nominated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film recounts the harrowing story of the Palestinian child Hind Rajab, who was killed in January 2024 in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza, after the Israeli occupation army targeted the vehicle she was traveling in with her family. All of her companions were killed instantly, leaving Hind trapped alone among their bodies for several days.
Although she repeatedly called for rescue, the occupation forces attacked the medical team attempting to reach her. The child was found only twelve days later, lifeless.
Hind’s tragedy—one among thousands—vividly illustrates the scale of violence and the flagrant violations of international humanitarian law: targeting civilians, obstructing humanitarian aid, and impeding rescue operations. These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Demands of the Human Rights Organizations
On this occasion, the undersigned organizations reaffirm the following:
Expressions of solidarity or routine commemorative activities are no longer sufficient in the face of the ongoing Israeli occupation and its repressive policies. The occupation remains the root cause of the suffering of the Palestinian people; no lasting peace can be achieved without fully ending it and holding its leaders accountable.
The ongoing events in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, constitute an unequivocal genocide under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, necessitating urgent, decisive, and binding international action.
Governments worldwide and international organizations must fully assume their responsibilities by pressuring the Israeli occupation authorities to respect international humanitarian law, immediately cease attacks on civilians, and allow unconditional and unhindered access for humanitarian aid and rescue teams to the Gaza Strip.
It is essential to support UN initiatives that organize solidarity activities, including the annual exhibition on the rights of the Palestinian people, highlighting the violations committed against them, and encouraging states to ensure extensive media coverage of this day.
The measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in the case brought against Israel must be supported, and the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against occupation leaders must be executed without delay, holding them accountable for the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as for other crimes against humanity, including deliberate killings, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
The inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish an independent state across the entirety of Palestinian territory, with Jerusalem as its capital, is reaffirmed—a right that is imprescriptible and cannot be nullified by the passage of time.
The undersigned organizations commend the meticulously documented UN reports on the genocidal crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and express their solidarity with human rights experts facing intimidation while fulfilling their international mandates, particularly Ms. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, whose tireless efforts to uncover the truth and expose misleading narratives are recognized and praised.
In conclusion, we, the human rights organizations, emphasize that the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is not merely a symbolic observance but a global call to renew moral and legal commitments toward a people subjected for decades to the most extreme forms of occupation, violence, and blockade.
The organizations reaffirm that genuine solidarity begins with unequivocally condemning violations, actively combating impunity, and supporting the Palestinian people’s right to establish a fully sovereign state, end the occupation, and live in dignity and security on their land.
Signatory Organizations:
Alkarama for Human Rights – Geneva
Association of Victims of Torture – Geneva
Al-Shehab Center for Human Rights – London
Sawt Hor Organization (Free Voice)
EFDI International
Justice for Human Rights Organization – JHR
Al-Tadamun for Human Rights