An open letter calls on all UN member states to stop fuelling the crisis in Gaza and to avoid exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe and civilian loss of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4907,"template":"","actualite_type":[10],"actualite_sujet":[],"action_combat":[],"mdm_pays":[],"class_list":["post-4906","actualite","type-actualite","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","actualite_type-international-actions"],"acf":{"mise_en_avant":false,"chapeau":"An open letter calls on all UN member states to stop fuelling the crisis in Gaza and to avoid exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe and civilian loss of life.","cta_type":"aucun","cta_lien":"","contenu":"
Israeli bombings and siege are depriving the civilian population of the basic elements necessary for survival and making Gaza uninhabitable. Today, the civilian population of Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented severity and scale.<\/p>\n
In addition, attacks carried out by Palestinian armed groups have killed<\/a> approximately 1,200 people and taken hundreds of Israelis and foreigners hostage, including children, and continue to hold over 130 hostages<\/a> inside Gaza. Armed groups in Gaza have continued to indiscriminately fire<\/a> rockets at population centers in Israel, disrupting children\u2019s classes<\/a> at school and displacing and threatening the lives and well-being of civilians. Hostage-taking and indiscriminate attacks constitute violations<\/a> of international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.<\/p>\n Humanitarian agencies, human rights advocacy groups, United Nations officials, and over 153 Member States<\/a> have called for an immediate ceasefire. However, Israel continues to use explosive weapons and munitions in densely populated areas, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences for the population of Gaza. World leaders have urged the Israeli government to reduce civilian casualties, but Israeli military operations in Gaza continue to kill people at an unprecedented rate, according to recent statements<\/a> by the UN Secretary-General. Member States have a legal responsibility to use all possible means to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law. The last lifeline in Gaza\u2014a humanitarian response funded by the international community\u2014has been paralyzed by the intensity of hostilities, including attacks on humanitarian convoys, recurrent disruptions to communication services, damaged roads, restrictions on essential aid, an almost total ban on commercial goods, and a bureaucratic process for sending aid to Gaza.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military campaign has destroyed a large portion of Gaza\u2019s homes, schools, hospitals, water supply infrastructure, shelters, and refugee camps; these indiscriminate bombings, as well as the repeated disproportionate harm to civilians they systematically cause, are unacceptable. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned<\/a> of the \u201cincreased risk of atrocity crimes\u201d being committed in Gaza and has called on all States to prevent such crimes from occurring. Since this call, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has only worsened:<\/p>\n Gaza is now the most dangerous place in the world for a child, a journalist, and a humanitarian worker. These conditions have created a situation of total despair within Gaza, leading senior humanitarian officials to declare that the necessary conditions for an appropriate humanitarian response in Gaza no longer exist. This will not change as long as the siege, bombings, and fighting continue. The United Nations recently described<\/a> humanitarian access in January as a \u201csignificant deterioration.\u201d Israeli forces have repeatedly denied permission for humanitarian convoys to reach areas north of Wadi Gaza, where the population is at the greatest risk of famine.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, senior Israeli officials have begun calling for the expulsion of Palestinian civilians from Gaza. Forced transfer within Gaza and the deportation of part of the population beyond its borders, without any guarantee of return, would constitute a serious violation of international law, amounting to an atrocity crime.<\/p>\n We demand an immediate ceasefire and call on all States to end the transfer of arms that could be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. The UN Security Council must fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security by adopting measures to halt the transfer of arms to the Israeli government and Palestinian armed groups and to prevent the transfer of arms that risk being used to commit international crimes, and this immediately.<\/p>\n All States have an obligation to prevent atrocity crimes and to promote respect for the norms that protect civilians. It is high time for the international community to live up to these commitments.<\/p>\n *Note: Signatories<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe total number of humanitarian workers killed includes UN staff<\/a>, NGO employees, as well as those from the Palestinian Red Crescent<\/a>. Annual figures for humanitarian workers killed in other contexts are available in the Aid Worker Security Database<\/a>.<\/p>\n