Date: 15 Mar 2024
Press Release
Gaza Population Facing Unprecedented Humanitarian Catastrophe, Health Crisis, and Severe Famine Unparalleled Anywhere in the World
The International Commission “Hashd” reported that Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Shifa Hospital on Monday morning, March 18, 2024, under the cover of aerial and artillery bombardment and gunfire, resulting in casualties and injuries, as well as the forced displacement of nearly 30,000 displaced persons who were forcibly surrounding the hospital, in addition to the arrest of 12 journalists, dozens of hospital staff, and a number of displaced persons and patients residing therein after being tortured and taken to unknown locations. Furthermore, some hospital buildings were burned and destroyed, and the corpses of martyrs were dug up, extracted, and looted, including the assassination of the civilian police operations director in Gaza, Faiek Mabhouh, all of which constitute heinous war crimes. This underscores the Israeli occupation forces’ determination to kill and destroy healthcare facilities that have partially restored their services in northern Gaza, spread chaos, prevent humanitarian aid from reaching northern Gaza, deepen famine and humanitarian catastrophe, and insist on forcibly displacing the remaining population of Gaza City and its northern regions living in catastrophic conditions where famine, thirst, diseases, epidemics, insecurity, and the collapse of healthcare and humanitarian services systems prevail due to the continued collective punishment, prevention of humanitarian aid and medical supplies, and the ongoing Israeli occupation crimes and genocide for 165 consecutive days.
The International Commission “Hashd”: renews its warning of the collapse of the healthcare system and the escalation of famine and humanitarian catastrophe to irreparable levels, amid the Israeli occupation’s continuation of collective punishments, deliberate targeting of hospitals and medical teams, and the use of starvation as a weapon. Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip has amounted to at best 5% of the population’s needs, in addition to the continued obstruction of humanitarian aid entry to the sector through land crossings and preventing it from reaching the inhabitants of northern Gaza, targeting and killing aid recipients and those supervising its guarding, as well as obstructing the work of international humanitarian organizations, especially UNRWA, in persisting in committing genocide.
The International Commission “Hashd”: affirms that airborne operations and the opening of a maritime corridor to ensure the delivery of aid must not be substitutes for ensuring increased flow of aid and humanitarian needs through land crossings, and pressures Israel to stop aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and collective punishments against Palestinians, ensuring that Israel bears its responsibilities in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law.
The International Commission “Hashd”: calls on the international community, international organizations, and countries of the world to assume their moral and legal responsibilities, not to suffice with condemnation and denunciation, but to take collective and individual action to stop Israeli aggression and protect Palestinians from genocide, famine, and humanitarian catastrophe, ensuring the implementation of the International Court of Justice measures and relevant UN resolutions, providing international protection for hospitals, civilians, especially children, women, medical teams, and journalists, and working to activate mechanisms of accountability, boycott, and sanctions against Israel until it ends its international crimes and occupation of Palestinian territories.
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The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
