The International Commission “Hashd” For the 12th consecutive month, Israeli occupation forces continue committing genocide in Gaza and expand aggression in the West Bank and Jerusalem amid ongoing U.S. support and blatant international inaction
Date:7 Sep 2024
Press Release
The International Commission “Hashd” For the 12th consecutive month, Israeli occupation forces continue committing genocide in Gaza and expand aggression in the West Bank and Jerusalem amid ongoing U.S. support and blatant international inaction
The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights “Hashd” reports that for the 12th consecutive month, Israeli occupation forces continue their military aggression and genocide in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military persists in bombing homes, refugee shelters, and tents, destroying them over the heads of civilians without prior warning, committing massacres, mass killings, forced displacement, and widespread destruction of infrastructure and public services. Over 2 million displaced persons are now facing severe famine, thirst, and outbreaks of diseases due to continued collective punishment and obstruction of humanitarian aid. This amounts to an ongoing act of genocide in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of nearly 55,000 people, with 95,000 injured, 2.2 million displaced, and 85% of Gaza’s homes, buildings, and infrastructure destroyed. The situation has led to catastrophic humanitarian consequences that can only be mitigated by immediately halting the Israeli aggression and genocide, ensuring the opening of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of the wounded and sick, and guaranteeing the flow of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, civil defense equipment, and fuel to run essential health and public services to prevent further death, destruction, famine, thirst, and unprecedented humanitarian suffering for the people of Gaza.
The International Commission “Hashd” also condemns the continued escalation of war crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. The latest expanded aggression occurred in the northern West Bank cities of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas, resulting in the deaths of 39 civilians, bringing the death toll in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, to 682, with nearly 6,000 others injured. This military assault has also caused widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, forcibly displacing over 1,000 people. This reflects additional evidence of genocide and ethnic cleansing aimed at permanently displacing Palestinians and re-establishing Israeli colonial settlements in the northern West Bank as part of broader plans to annex the West Bank, Judaize Jerusalem, desecrate holy sites, and impose sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The International Commission “Hashd” strongly warns against the implementation of the “Generals’ Plan,” initiated by retired General Giora Eiland and approved by the “Forum of Generals and Reserve Warriors,” published on 4/9/2024. This plan has been submitted to Israeli ministers and the security-political cabinet for discussion and approval, with the intent to issue orders for the army to implement it without hesitation. The plan calls for the forced displacement of remaining civilians in northern Gaza and the imposition of a deadly siege on those who refuse to evacuate, which constitutes an extension of the ongoing genocide in Gaza with even more horrific brutality and premeditation. The goal is to alter the demographic map of Gaza, granting Israel absolute control over the northern part of the Strip, the destruction of Gaza City, and the establishment of Israeli settlements in the area effectively annexed by Israel. This plan is part of an escalating discourse of displacement, annexation, and settlement that has become overt and dominant in Israeli policy. It aligns with Israeli Foreign Minister Katz’s call for the displacement of the people of Jenin and its refugee camp, turning displacement into a comprehensive project against Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza. This necessitates serious Palestinian and Arab action to confront the dangers of forced displacement, colonial annexation of Palestinian lands, and genocide, and calls for action before the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for these international crimes and plots.
The International Commission “Hashd” strongly condemns the killing of American-Turkish solidarity activist Aisha Nur Ezgi Aygi, 26, who was shot in the head by Israeli occupation forces during a weekly anti-settlement protest near Mount Sbeih in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. This crime is part of a series of deliberate attacks on solidarity activists, which have claimed the lives of dozens, including American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003. The Commission denounces the double standards of the U.S. concerning the murder of an American activist, reflecting its ongoing bias and complicity in Israeli war crimes against Palestinians, including American citizens supporting the Palestinian cause. It calls on all American advocates of justice to pressure the U.S. government to end its continuous support for Israeli occupation and aggression against Palestinians and to hold those responsible for the field execution of American activist Nur accountable.
The International Commission “Hashd” also highlights the leaked images from Megiddo Prison, published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, showing the abuse of Palestinian prisoners and the use of dogs to humiliate them. This is further evidence of the brutal torture and mistreatment of prisoners, following previously leaked videos and images from the Saidiyyat Teiman detention center that resulted in the deaths of dozens of prisoners. This systematic strategy of torture, starvation, medical neglect, and denial of rights, as outlined in the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions, calls for a decisive international stance from the Red Cross, UN organizations, and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to ensure the protection of prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable.
The International Commission “Hashd” strongly warns against the continued Israeli genocide in light of the failure of all mediators and diplomatic efforts to halt the Israeli aggression on Gaza. This failure comes amid Israel’s rejection of the International Court of Justice’s temporary measures and the UN Security Council’s calls for a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza. The Commission condemns the U.S. for its partnership in genocide and its clear, unequivocal bias towards Israel by consistently supplying arms and providing political cover in international institutions, particularly the UN Security Council. The U.S. also exerts pressure on international judicial bodies, especially the International Criminal Court, to deter it from issuing arrest warrants against Israeli war criminals, threatening sanctions on the ICC, its judges, and staff if such warrants are issued.
The International Commission “Hashd” reiterates its warning against the failure to implement national consensus decisions and reconciliation agreements, most recently the Beijing Agreement, which called for the formation of a Palestinian unity government. The continued failure of the international community, the UN, and world governments to stop the genocide and gross violations of international law by Israel and the impunity granted to its leaders and soldiers, along with the complicity of some Western countries in these serious violations, have emboldened Israel to escalate its genocide and war crimes. This encourages Israel to entrench its colonial and racist settlement project aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence. The Commission calls on the free nations and peoples of the world to continue pressing for serious international intervention to stop the Israeli aggression and genocide, ensure international protection for Palestinians, and increase humanitarian responses and aid efforts. Additionally, it demands countermeasures against Israel as required by international law, including an arms embargo, boycotts, isolation, sanctions, and holding Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable before the International Criminal Court and international judiciary.
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