Date: 3 May 2024
Press Release
The International Commission “Hashd” Condemns Israeli Attack on Rafah Deepening of Israeli Occupation of Gaza and Insistence on Continuing the Crime of Genocide
The International Commission for Palestinian Rights “Hashd” condemns in the strongest terms the continued state of international silence and paralysis, reaching the level of international conspiracy, towards the ongoing Israeli military aggression on Rafah Governorate, which is home to nearly 1.5 million Palestinians. This threatens to lead to new massacres and forced displacement, exacerbating the catastrophic humanitarian situation following the occupation of the Rafah border crossing, its closure, and the prevention of humanitarian aid entry for the fourth consecutive day.
The wide-ranging Israeli military attack on the city of Rafah included the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing and the control of the Rafah border crossing, preventing the entry of aid, medical supplies, fuel, and all essential goods for civilian populations. This once again demonstrates the true goals of the genocide war: revenge against Palestinians, control of Gaza, imposition of the Israeli occupation’s vision based on imposing colonial domination on the sector without any legal responsibilities mandated by international humanitarian law, denial of Palestinian rights and prevention of their right to self-determination. In addition, the Israeli occupation’s use of starvation tactics against Palestinians as a strategy in the ongoing genocide war for the eighth consecutive month.
In the past few days, Rafah city has witnessed wide scale targeting through various military means, with Israeli forces targeting dozens of houses, many of which were populated, resulting in hundreds of casualties among the dead and wounded. Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted all eastern areas of the governorate and large parts of central and western areas directly with warplanes and various Israeli military weapons, leading to the shutdown of Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital.
The Israeli military attack and aggression have led to a new wave of internal displacement among the population, amidst eviction orders and tank shells, amid fear of killing and intimidation, to devastated areas where services are absent, amidst widespread humanitarian crises in Gaza. There is a severe shortage of all life necessities, including drinking water, health services, food, and proper treatment, leading to the widespread spread of diseases among civilian populations, whom the occupation once again forces into forced mass displacement without providing any safe humanitarian passages, amid prevention and obstruction of the work of international humanitarian organizations. The goal is to turn all of Gaza into an uninhabitable area, pushing for the subsequent displacement of its inhabitants outside Palestinian territories, amid fears of using the maritime corridor supervised by the United States to achieve this goal, alongside other colonial goals veiled under the guise of humanitarian aid entry.
Field facts in Gaza confirm that the genocide and starvation war practiced by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians has resulted, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, in the killing of 45,000 martyrs and victims, including 35,000 who reached hospitals and 10,000 missing under the rubble of their homes. Among the victims are 15,000 children and 10,000 women, 394 medical personnel, 68 civil defense personnel, 143 journalists, 169 UNRWA staff, and the injury of 78,000 civilians with various injuries. Seventy-two percent of the victims are children and women. More than 6,000 citizens have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in unknown locations, in addition to widespread destruction of over 75% of the buildings and facilities in the sector, leading to the obliteration of entire cities and camps from the map, resettling them on the ground without contributing to any military effort, with complete destruction documented of 86,000 residential units, partial destruction of 350,000 residential units, 450 schools and universities, 186 civilian government buildings, 3 churches, and 321 mosques, 32 hospitals, and 206 archaeological sites.
The International Commission “Hashd” views the international community as obligated to take decisive actions to halt the genocide occurring in Rafah and Gaza Strip as a whole. It aims to prevent further crimes and violations against Palestinians. The Israeli closure of crossings is seen as an additional step towards starving and destroying Palestinian civilians in Rafah and Gaza Strip in general. Hashd emphasizes that Israeli military doctrine has turned civilians and their properties into legitimate military targets, and the scene of targeting cities and civilian objects is still repeated in Rafah, threatening a bloodbath and a humanitarian catastrophe. Hashd holds the occupying forces and the government of the United States fully responsible for the lives of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. It warns against accepting justifications from Israel and the United States aimed at warning the community and public opinion that the operation in Rafah will be limited. It calls on the world’s countries to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities to ensure the cessation of genocide by taking serious measures to expand the scope of boycott and impose sanctions on the Israeli occupation state, and prevent the export of weapons to it, forcing it to respect the principles and rules of international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions on the Palestinian issue.
- Hashd:condemns the continuation of the international and regional conspiracy of silence regarding the genocide committed by the occupying authorities, calling on the world’s countries to turn condemnation and expressions of concern into practical steps to ensure the enforcement of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and International Court of Justice measures to protect Palestinians and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, support civilians and victims of genocide and war crimes who have experienced unprecedented humanitarian catastrophes in human history.
- Hashd: calls for the General Assembly of the United Nations to convene in a United for Peace format to ensure the adoption of permanent Palestinian membership and the provision of international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories as a step towards ending Israeli occupation and the racist colonial settlement system.
- Hashd: urges the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to proceed quickly and swiftly with preliminary investigations and issuing arrest warrants against Israeli war criminals.
- Hashd: calls on the international solidarity movement with the Palestinian people, as well as all Arab, regional, and international unions, organizations, to act on all legal, political, diplomatic, human rights, and popular levels to ensure the cessation of genocide and the protection of Palestinians and support the rights of the Palestinian people
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The International Commission to Support Palestinians Rights (Hashd)
