The international community must assume its responsibilities towards civilians in Gaza
Sana’a –
Mwatana for Human Rights stated that the international community has a responsibility to end forms of collective punishment of the residents of the Gaza Strip. It emphasized the need to ensure safe and immediate access to humanitarian supplies and aid to Gaza to mitigate the catastrophic effects on civilians. This is due to Israel imposing strict restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, essential goods, and fuel to hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents. The consequences include the cutting off water, electricity, and internet supplies to the region, 80% of which relies predominantly on humanitarian aid provided by the United Nations. This situation has persisted since 2005 due to the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza, and the prevention of aid and collective punishment has been deemed a war crime and a crime against humanity according to the statutes of the International Criminal Court and international humanitarian law.
Since October 7, 2023, following a wide-scale attack launched by Hamas on the Gaza envelope and the occupied Palestinian territories, in which approximately 1,400 Israelis, including civilians, were killed, Israeli forces carried out hundreds of destructive attacks on the Gaza Strip. This resulted in the death of at least 9,770 Palestinians, including 4,800 children, 2,550 women, and 596 elderly individuals, with more than 24,000 others injured and 1.6 million residents internally displaced, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli authorities, from the onset of these attacks, declared an immediate and simultaneous cessation of water, electricity, and internet services to the residents of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, they imposed a 15-day prohibition on the entry of aid convoys and essential goods, encompassing vital items such as food, fuel, and necessary medical supplies. Despite various efforts, initiatives, and mediations, permission for aid entry was reluctantly granted starting October 21, 2023, through the Rafah border crossing with the Arab Republic of Egypt, but only during limited hours. This authorization allowed a maximum of 20 daily trucks into the Gaza Strip. However, the actual need stands between 100 to 200 trucks daily, as stated by the UNICEF representative in Egypt. This underscores a significant shortfall, indicating that the provided aid falls short of meeting the minimum urgent and essential needs affected population's minimum urgent and essential needs of the affected population.
Simultaneously with the escalation of the attacks on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces targeted the Rafah border crossing (south of Gaza City) with airstrikes several times. This crossing is the sole artery for the entry of goods, aid, and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip. Among the targets was the buffer zone between the Egyptian and Palestinian gates of the crossing, struck three times between the ninth and tenth of October 2023. This resulted in the complete closure of the crossing, despite the presence of dozens of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid and essential goods on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel stated, "The scenes we witness, and the recurring appeals from hospitals, agencies, international organizations, and humanitarian institutions operating in Gaza, are alarming. How can the world turn a blind eye to all these violations that target civilians every day?! Hospitals have been mercilessly bombed, in addition to civilian objects, schools, shelters, the headquarters of humanitarian institutions, and journalists. Opportunities to obtain basic necessities have been reduced to a minimum, and many have been deprived of necessary medical care due to the shortage of supplies and Israel's prevention and hindrance of their access to Gaza's civilian population."
Al-Mutawakel added, "Civilian residents of the Gaza Strip have found themselves confronting a force that is not restrained by laws or binding norms. Israeli forces have disregarded international legal principles and rules amid widespread international silence and endorsement. This is a situation that must end immediately."
The prevention of humanitarian aid, in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of civilian residents, has exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. This has resulted in the loss of lives for hundreds of civilian casualties, with the remaining individuals being deprived of their most basic rights to access food and healthcare.
In the midst of the tragic situation faced by the residents of the Gaza Strip, hospitals have issued distress calls due to the interruption of water, medical supplies, and fuel. This, in turn, poses a barrier to the operation of medical equipment. Hospitals have cautioned against their inability to maintain readiness due to the escalating numbers of casualties juxtaposed with a severe shortage of supplies, as confirmed by the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, the aid provided is woefully inadequate to meet the rapidly increasing needs of the population, according to statements from Cindy MacKin, the head of the World Food Programme, following her visit to the Rafah crossing on November 5, 2023. This crisis is compounded by the ongoing and escalating violence, leading to the collapse of all productive sectors, essential social services, and infrastructure. Civilians in the Gaza Strip are also facing blockades hindering their access to the most necessities of life.
In addition to Israel's prevention of humanitarian aid reaching the residents of the Gaza Strip, its attacks have targeted humanitarian workers. Since the start of the military operation in Gaza, 89 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) have been killed. This constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which strictly prohibits blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged populations in armed conflicts and criminalizes the targeting of humanitarian workers under any circumstances or justifications.
Mwatana for Human Rights has called upon the international community, including the International Criminal Court, the United Nations Security Council, and the Human Rights Council, in addition to specialized international agencies, human rights organizations, activists, and lawyers globally, to actively engage in putting an immediate end to the egregious violations. Mwatana emphasizes the imperative of guaranteeing secure access to humanitarian aid in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of civilians in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Mwatana underscores the urgency of reinstating water, electricity, internet, and communication services, which Israel has severed from Gaza residents since the commencement of its military operation. Mwatana advocates for the formation of independent committees to investigate breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, ensuring accountability for the perpetrators, and seeking justice and redress for the victims.
