Press Release
ICSPR warns of the consequences of crossings continued closure on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) highly appreciates your efforts to ensure that human beings enjoy a dignified life wherever they are, in true harmony with human rights charters and provisions, and appreciates your constant eagerness to intervene in order to put an end to the suffering of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
AaICSPR is honored to address you in the name of conscience and humanitarian duty, and on behalf of the thousands of victims of human rights and humanitarian law violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who optimistically look forward to your contributions to ensure the cessation of violations against them and obliges the occupation authorities to liquidate their occupation, and end their 16-year illegal siege, as it is considered a blatant violation that led to a severe collapse in all sectors, and on the overall human rights situation.
In the same context, we are addressing you again through this letter, to inform you of closing the crossings to the Gaza Strip, which reflects the aggressive nature of the occupation, and constitutes further abuse of the people of the Strip, where the occupation forces closed the Erez checkpoint yesterday -Friday evening. Its worth mentioning that the occupation forces are basically closing 5 of the 7 crossings in the Gaza Strip since 2006, which in turn constitutes a form of collective punishment and acts of retaliation perpetrated against Palestinian civilians.
The foregoing came in the context of the Israeli occupation state’s continued attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, and its endeavors to implement its expansionist settlement plans and the policy of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem, through forcibly displacing dozens of Palestinian families, as part of the occupation authorities’ endeavor to change the demographic composition of the city, takes control over it, in a clear violation of the principles of international law that consider East Jerusalem to be occupied territory. In addition to the systematic attacks on Jerusalemites and worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the blessed month of Ramadan.
This closure comes at a time when the humanitarian conditions of the residents of the Gaza Strip continue to deteriorate as a result of the strict siege, preventing the entry and exit of patients, workers, commercial sectors and international institutions’ staff, in addition to preventing the entry of food, medical supplies, medicines and fuel, and the catastrophic repercussions of that on the residents conditions and the threat to their ability to receive basic services, especially health care, potable water, sanitation and electricity, as a result of the occupation forces’ targeting public utilities and the infrastructure of water, electricity and sewage networks, which contributed to turning the Gaza Strip into an unsafe place for nearly 2 million Palestinians to live in.
ICSPR warns of the humanitarian repercussions of the continued closure and the tightening of restrictions, and considers the continued international silence as a green light for the occupation authorities to continue committing more human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip.
ICSPR calls on the international community to act urgently and effectively to stop the ongoing Israeli violations, especially the policy of collective punishment that it practices by closing the crossings, which constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, as it stresses the need to protect the civilian population in the occupied territories and ensure their enjoyment of the right to life and an adequate standard of living.
The closure is the main reason for the economic and social crisis that Gaza suffers from.
The necessary steps must be taken to ensure respect for international law, and accountability for all those suspected of violating the rules of international law.
We hope you to intervene now, as tomorrow, it might be too late. The citizens in the Gaza Strip deserve a dignified human life, like all other peoples.
