Date: November 10, 2023
Time: 17:00 Local Time
Subject: Urgent Report and Briefing on the Situation 5,000 Children and 3,500 Women Killed in the Ongoing Israeli Military Aggression on Gaza for 35 Consecutive Days
Ladies and Gentlemen, High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, UN Secretary-General, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Physical and Mental Health, Members and President of the Human Rights Council, International Criminal Court Prosecutor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, European Union, World Health Organization, Arab League, International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, Human Rights and Health NGOs, and Free People of the World,
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)extends its greetings to all international entities, countries, organizations, and free people worldwide. It highly appreciates any effort to halt the aggression, protect civilians, especially children and women, and urges the United Nations and the contracting parties to the Geneva Conventions to take immediate action.
As we witness the escalating genocide and the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza, now on its 35th day, where Israeli forces have intensified attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, using a deadly arsenal of missiles, bombs, including internationally prohibited weapons. The Israeli occupation army initiated its aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, resulting in a devastating toll to date. The casualties include over 11,000 martyrs, among them 5,000 children and 3,000 women, with more than 27,000 other civilians injured, including 70% children and women.
The Israeli military occupation committed heinous crimes against civilians in Gaza, with 1,118 massacres targeting Palestinian families, bombing their homes and residential areas without prior warning. This has led to the martyrdom of 80% of the total casualties. Additionally, around 3,000 people, half of them children, remain missing under the rubble, according to reports received by the Ministry of Health.
The Israeli military onslaught caused the worst crimes against civilians in Gaza, resulting in the destruction of over 10,000 buildings, residential towers, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, commercial shops, economic establishments, agricultural lands, infrastructure, streets, electricity, water, and communication networks. The genocidal acts, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and collective punishment have created a humanitarian catastrophe for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, particularly for children and women.
This dire situation has led to the spread of diseases and epidemics, especially among children, due to the consumption of contaminated water, food shortages, and the absence of living conditions that respect privacy or provide the minimum necessities for children and women. The collapse of health services in northern Gaza and Gaza City due to the International Relief Agency’s evacuation orders and the depletion of fuel jeopardizes the lives of newborns, childcare, and the treatment of wounded women and children.
We call on your humanity first, as a lever to ensure that the international community fulfills its obligations to its citizens. At the same time, we urge you to exert more efforts by taking specific actions to save the lives of children, women, and civilians in Gaza from the ongoing Israeli atrocities. This includes putting pressure on the Israeli authorities to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law, international conventions, especially those related to the rights of children and women, and activating UN mechanisms and the roles of high contracting parties to the Geneva Conventions.
We hope for serious action according to your jurisdiction and ethical responsibilities to stop the aggression on Gaza, ensure the protection of children and women, lift the collective sanctions and siege on the people of Gaza, guarantee the flow of humanitarian aid and necessary fuel to operate all humanitarian facilities, restore electricity, water, allow the evacuation of the wounded, and hold accountable the perpetrators of serious violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that have targeted children and women before the International Criminal Court.
Finally, we hope for the adoption of these demands and serious actions to stop the killing and targeting of children and women.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
