“ICSPR”: The U.S. veto and international complicity necessitate collective resort to the “Uniting for Peace” mechanism to save Gaza’s population from genocide

21 September 2025

Press Release

ICSPR The U.S. veto and international complicity necessitate collective resort to the “Uniting for Peace” mechanism to save Gaza’s population from genocide

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) expresses grave concern over the escalating systematic crimes of genocide committed by Israeli occupation forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip, now entering their 716th consecutive day. In the past 24 hours alone, 110 civilians were killed and more than 350 injured, bringing the total death toll since the start of the aggression to over 65,284 martyrs and the wounded to more than 166,200.

Amidst the ongoing siege, starvation policies, and obstruction of humanitarian aid, the Ministry of Health recorded 5 new deaths from malnutrition in the last 24 hours, raising the total malnutrition-related deaths to 447, including 147 children. Since the IPC classification in Gaza, an additional 169 deaths linked to malnutrition have been documented, including 32 children. In total, more than 2,100 deaths related to hunger and medicine shortages have been recorded since the start of the blockade—clear evidence of deliberate starvation amounting to genocide.

ICSPR reports that Israeli forces continue to escalate military operations in Gaza City and the north, accompanied by heavy airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and deliberate targeting of residential neighborhoods, civilian homes, shelters, and tents of displaced families. Ground assaults have expanded to Al-Tuffah, Al-Zeitoun, Al-Sabra, Al-Sudaniya, Al-Jalaa Square, and Al-Khazindar Station, in addition to ongoing attacks on Al-Nasr neighborhood and the overcrowded Al-Shati refugee camp. The occupation increasingly deploys lethal weapons against civilians, including armed drones dropping explosives into shelters and homes, as well as remote-controlled robots and booby-trapped vehicles sent at night to demolish houses over their residents—causing mass killings and spreading terror to force displacement.

ICSPR emphasizes that Gaza’s civilians face overlapping humanitarian catastrophes, including forced displacement, hunger, thirst, and lack of health and humanitarian services. Over 500,000 people have been forcibly displaced without adequate tents or shelters, with a 90% shelter deficit and urgent need for more than 250,000 tents and caravans. More than 92% of the population (2.1 million people) face severe food insecurity, including 700,000 children at risk of famine and acute malnutrition. Water access is equally dire: more than 75% of central wells in Gaza City have been destroyed, leaving the population in collective thirst, with 95% of available water contaminated, heightening risks of epidemics as winter approaches.

ICSPR documented harrowing field testimonies, including that of Al-Shifa Hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, who said: “The occupation destroyed my house without warning and massacred my family. This happens every day, and sadly, the world has decided to watch the extermination of two million people without concern.” One tragic story documented was of a child who lost his mother to a missile during forced displacement. The boy buried her with his bare hands, then carried his baby sister on his back through the rubble, crying out “Mama”—a scene symbolizing Gaza’s stolen childhood.

ICSPR strongly condemns the recent U.S. veto blocking a binding resolution for ceasefire and humanitarian access, stressing that this position provided direct cover for the continuation of genocide and starvation. It reaffirms that the world’s silence amounts to complicity, and calls for urgent international action before it is too late. Given the paralysis and division within the Security Council, ICSPR urges global civil movements to escalate toward worldwide civil disobedience to pressure states and the United Nations to immediately activate the UN General Assembly “Uniting for Peace” mechanism—the most urgent legal and political option to transfer powers to the General Assembly, form an international coalition to enforce a ceasefire, protect civilians, open crossings, and ensure humanitarian aid. This includes deploying an international protection force, imposing comprehensive sanctions on Israel (arms embargo, economic and political sanctions), suspending its UN membership, and supporting the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in prosecuting Israeli political and military leaders and their accomplices.

Finally, ICSPR calls upon State Parties to the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions to uphold their legal and moral obligations to stop genocide, boycott Israel, and impose sanctions to end its aggression and occupation.