Date: October 21, 2023
Time: 13:00 local time
Original Language: Arabic
Press Release
The International Commission “Hashd” Ending the Israeli War, a Duty on the Human Family
For the fifteenth consecutive day, the Israeli military occupation forces continue their war on the Gaza Strip, which, according to the Ministry of Health, has resulted in the martyrdom of 4,494 people and the injury of more than 14,000, with over 1,400 individuals missing under the rubble of their homes. Forced displacement of a million Palestinians, half of whom are sheltered in the premises of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The Israeli aggression is accompanied by the closure of all border crossings, cutting off water and electricity supplies, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, and depriving citizens of essential services related to electricity, hindering their access to safe drinking water. This has also had a significant impact on vital sectors, especially hospitals threatened with collapse due to the shortage of the necessary fuel to run their power generators. Additionally, most medical supplies have run out, and the medical staff is under immense stress and exhaustion, with 47 of them losing their lives. Hospitals have been targeted, with threats of forced evacuations, the latest of which was the threat to Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City yesterday.
The International Commission “Hashd” emphasizes that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip is an unjust and aggressive military action. It holds the Israeli authorities, the United States, and Western countries that support the Israeli occupation militarily, politically, and economically accountable for the ongoing aggression and the genocide against Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza. It warns of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions faced by civilians in Gaza, including the displaced, due to the scarcity of water and limited relief and food supplies.
Hashd calls for the following actions:
- Renewing its call to the United Nations, nations, and free people of the world to continue exerting pressure on the Israeli occupation and its allies to end the aggression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the siege on Gaza. It calls for the evacuation of the wounded, the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, fuel for hospital generators, ambulances, and rescue vehicles, as well as ensuring the operation of the power station, especially under the current exceptional circumstances to guarantee people’s access to water. It emphasizes the importance of not leaving the residents of Gaza at the mercy of the relentless aggression of the Israeli occupation.
- Urging the high contracting parties to the four Geneva Conventions to faithfully fulfill their moral and legal obligations in providing international protection to Palestinian civilians in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law, and to hold Israeli occupation leaders accountable for war crimes.
- Calling on the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court to include the crimes committed in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing investigation of Israeli crimes and to end the policy of procrastination and double standards.
- Advocating for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly under the “Uniting for Peace” formula and an extraordinary session of the Human Rights Council to discuss the necessary steps to protect civilians and human rights in Palestine.
- Renewing its call to all specialized United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross to condemn the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and to activate their efforts in protecting children, women, journalists, and medical teams and providing necessary relief to the displaced.
- Urging the Palestinian Authority and leadership to declare the Gaza Strip a disaster area, elevate their positions and roles, announce the severance of relations with the Israeli occupation, and effectively implement the decisions of the national consensus, leading diplomatic efforts to ensure the cessation of aggression on the Gaza Strip and Israeli occupation crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
