The CEOs of humanitarian agencies and human rights
organizations has issued the following statement on Rafah,
Gaza
We are appalled by the harrowing developments in Rafah, Gaza’s
most populated area where 1.5 million people are sheltering as
their last resort - over half a million of them children. If
Israel launches its proposed ground offensive, thousands more
civilians will be killed and the current trickle of humanitarian
aid risks coming to a complete halt. If this military plan is not
stopped immediately, the consequences will be catastrophic.
With significant damage to over 70 per cent of civilian
infrastructure, many areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble
and are uninhabitable. Most hospitals are non-functional or only
partially operational and are completely overwhelmed. There is
little food, clean water, shelter, or sanitation. People are
living in the most inhumane conditions, many of them out in the
open. It defies belief that the Israeli military have forcibly
displaced the majority of the population from their homes into
Rafah - with six times as many people than before now squeezed
into the area - and then announced plans to attack it.
The Israeli government's strategy of systematic and repeated
forcible transfer of the civilian population has led to the
forced displacement of more than three quarters of the
population, many of whom left without adequate shelter or homes
to return to. Collectively punishing civilians by denying
them adequate shelter, food, clean water and other essentials
needed for their survival and obstructing humanitarian relief
consignments destined to alleviate starvation may amount to grave
breaches of the obligations of an occupying power under
International Humanitarian Law, constituting war crimes.
Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling,
mandated Israel to take immediate and effective measures to
enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and
humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Not only has this not happened,
the situation on the ground has deteriorated further. Israel’s
airstrikes in Rafah killed at least 100 Palestinians in a single
day, defying both international calls for moderation and
potentially the ICJ order. Over 1.5 million people trapped in
Rafah have nowhere safe to go, and many have already been
displaced multiple times. All of the Israeli supposed safe spaces
have been compromised, without exception, further proof that
there was never truly anywhere safe in Gaza.
Our call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire is more urgent
than ever as Israel’s relentless bombardment and siege have
decimated Gaza and left the Palestinian civilian population
starving, facing famine, and with diseases rife while obstructing
attempts to alleviate their suffering. The Israeli military
offensive has made it virtually impossible for our collective
agencies to meaningfully and effectively deliver humanitarian
work, compromising not only safety but also the very principles
guiding our humanitarian efforts. Rafah has been the primary
entry point for aid and bombardment will then prevent any
assistance from getting through.
The silence, and at times material support for Israel’s military
operations by powerful nations, signals distressing complicity in
Gaza’s deepening crisis. Whether through the transfer of weapons,
diplomatic obstruction of resolutions, such actions have
effectively granted Israel impunity. The harrowing situation in
Gaza underscores the urgent need for governments worldwide to
stop the supply of arms and ammunition used in these atrocities.
We also call for a permanent ceasefire to protect civilian lives
and release of hostages and unlawfully detained Palestinians, and
full, unhindered access for humanitarian aid and workers.
States bear legal and moral responsibilities to protect
civilians, prevent war crimes and uphold international law. We
urge all states to consider that their action or continued
support not only deepens the tragedy but also implicates them. We
call upon them to do everything in their power to prevent further
military offensives and forge a permanent and comprehensive
ceasefire in Gaza.
Signatories:
Ana Alcalde
Acting Secretary General, ActionAid
International
Dr Agnès Callamard Secretary General,
Amnesty International
Charlotte Slente
Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council
Manuel Patrouillard CEO,
Handicap International-Humanity & Inclusion
Amitabh Behar
Executive Director, Oxfam International
Rob Williams
CEO, War Child Alliance
