Date: October 22, 2023
Press Release
The International Commission “Hashd” Condemns Israeli Aggression, Exposes Deep Flaw in the International Community’s Response
Today, for the sixteenth consecutive day, Israeli military forces continue their genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of over 4,600 civilians, including 1,756 children and 967 women, and the injury of more than 14,000 people, 70% of whom are children, women, and the elderly.
Furthermore, more than 1,400 people remain missing under the rubble of their homes, and 1.4 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, with half of them seeking refuge in UNRWA schools and centers.
Israeli occupation forces have continued their campaign of shelling and destruction of residential buildings, neighborhoods, towers, and civilian infrastructure, implementing a scorched-earth policy that has caused unprecedented devastation and demographic changes in Gaza. Nearly 10,000 buildings, including residential and governmental structures, have been destroyed, and 164 residential units have been damaged, equivalent to 30% of the Gaza Strip’s buildings and facilities.
Israeli warplanes persist in targeting the homes of civilians and dropping them onto the heads of residents, increasing the number of massacres against families to 570, including families removed from the civil registry.
The region and the building housing the headquarters of The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd) were targeted by Israeli military actions last night, resulting in significant damage to the organization’s headquarters. However, the team and staff of the International Commission “Hashd” remain resolute in their mission to expose the truth about Israeli crimes, which have not stopped for a single minute over the past 16 days.
Israeli aggression continues to be accompanied by the continued closure of Israeli crossings, the interruption of water and electricity supplies, and, for the first time, the entry of only 20 aid trucks that do not cover even 1% of the current shortfall in essential supplies to ensure human survival.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces continue to invade cities and camps, the latest being the Jenin camp this morning, resulting in five martyrs, raising the death toll since the start of the aggression on Gaza to 90 martyrs and approximately 1,500 injuries. This is in addition to the continued arbitrary arrests and settler attacks on Palestinians.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd) emphasizes that the Israeli aggression on Gaza is a military and unjustified act of aggression. The State of Israel has violated all rules of international humanitarian law and the laws of war. It holds the Israeli authorities, the United States, and Western countries that support the occupation militarily, politically, and economically responsible for the consequences of their ongoing aggression and genocide against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The International Commission “Hashd” warns of the catastrophic conditions experienced by civilians in Gaza, including displaced persons due to water shortages and the scarcity of relief and food supplies. It also affirms that collective punishment and the Israeli blockade constitute a clear violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, which prohibit a state from punishing civilians. Hashd registers and calls for the following:
- Hashd calls on the international community and its various organizations to press Israel to stop its ongoing aggression and end the siege on Gaza.
- Hashd calls on the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations by urgently taking action to provide international protection for Palestinian civilians.
- Hashd reiterates its call to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to break his silence and take a public stance to condemn Israeli crimes and include the committed crimes in the preliminary investigation, putting an end to the selective enforcement of the law and the delaying tactics.
- Hashd calls on UN specialized agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross to condemn war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against civilians and civilian facilities in Gaza, and to activate their efforts to protect civilians, especially children, women, journalists, and medical teams, and to provide necessary assistance to the displaced.
- Hashd calls on the Palestinian Authority leadership to declare Gaza a disaster area, adhere to national consensus decisions, lead Arab and international movements to ensure the opening of a humanitarian corridor for evacuating the wounded, delivering medical and relief supplies, and providing the necessary fuel for vital facilities. It also urges diplomatic efforts at the United Nations and around the world to ensure the cessation of aggression and to form a barrier against Israeli plans and crimes against Palestinians.
- Hashd calls on people of conscience worldwide to continue their popular and solidarity movements to pressure governments to fulfil their ethical and legal responsibilities to stop Israeli aggression and support the just Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
End
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
