ICSPR calls to stop the Israeli crimes against civilians and their properties in the Gaza Strip and support the health sector

Ref: 65/2021

Date: 18 May 2021

Press Release

ICSPR calls to stop the Israeli crimes against civilians and their properties in the Gaza Strip and support the health sector

The Israeli military forces continue their military operations in the Gaza Strip for the ninth day in a row, and they clearly and systematically target civilians and their civilian properties, especially residential homes located in densely populated neighborhoods, with the aim of killing children and women, displacing thousands of families and inflicting severe material damage to the residential environment of these facilities.

Until the time of issuing this statement, and according to the latest statistics of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the Israeli military attacks caused the martyrdom of (213) civilians, including (61) children, (36) women, (16) elderly, and (1442) injuries. In addition to the forcible displacement of nearly 100,000 civilians, 40,000 of whom are in UNRWA schools in light of a severe shortage of services provided to them, while 60,000 have sought refuge at relatives and friends.

Israeli attacks and military strikes on the Gaza Strip are escalating, amid a fear that the Palestinian health system in Gaza will not be able to deal with the current conditions, especially in light of the occupation forces’ targeting of the health sector infrastructure, targeting the homes of a number of doctors and medical staff, as well as deliberately targeting health services facilities, including the al-Remal clinic, the Ministry of Health HQ, the central laboratory, which forced the Ministry of Health to announce that its work had stopped, in addition to the destruction of the main roads leading to hospitals, amid the weakness of the capabilities of the Palestinian health sector due to the Israeli siege, and measures to confront the Coronavirus.

Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza 9 days ago, the occupation forces have deliberately targeted civilian objects, as Israeli warplanes completely destroyed 1005 housing units, 33 media headquarters and offices, 68 government headquarters, 8 mosques, 36 schools, health clinics,132 buildings, and 5 residential towers. In addition to the destruction of infrastructure; water, electricity and communications networks, as well as the main streets in the Gaza Strip.

In addition, more than 40 factories, 300 stores, tourist sites, banks, companies, agricultural lands and animal farms were bombed and destroyed, which led to the suspension of more than 20 thousand workers from their work in Gaza, and caused financial losses exceeding $ 200 million, which confirms that the destruction of the industrial, commercial and economic sectors is a clear goal of the Israeli military operation that is continuing in the Gaza Strip.

The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights “ICSPR” reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupier by all available means, as a right recognized in international law. ICSPR considers the general strike announced today an important popular means to integrate the struggle against the Israeli military occupier, and holds the occupation forces and the government of the United States of America accountable for the lives of the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, as it warns of worsening the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip in light of the continuing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Therefore:

• ICSPR deplores the continuation of the international and regional conspiracy of silence over the heinous crimes committed by the war occupation authorities, and urges the contracting states to the Fourth Geneva Convention to declare a clear and explicit position towards Israel’s refusal to abide by the implementation of the agreement in the Palestinian territories.
• ICSPR calls on the International Human Rights Council to convene on an exceptional basis and to consider forming an international fact-finding committee to investigate the Israeli crimes, part of which has led to the extermination of more than 14 Palestinian families in addition to the deliberate targeting of civilians, especially women and children, and the destruction of civilian objects.
• ICSPR calls on international organizations to work hard to support the Palestinian health sector and civil defense in Gaza with the necessary dispatches, medical equipment and rescue equipment, especially in light of the weak capabilities of the Palestinian civil defense and the Palestinian health sector.
• ICSPR calls on the international community to work to stop war crimes of ethnic cleansing, settlement, siege and targeting civilians, especially women, children, journalists, and medical personnel, and to provide protection for civilians, boycott the occupation state, hold its leaders accountable as war criminals, and set up a program to end the occupation as the most heinous kind of aggression, and enable the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination
• ICSPR urges the international solidarity movement with the Palestinian people, and all Arab, regional and international organizations to move on all legal, political, diplomatic, human rights and popular levels to pressure governments around the world to carry out their moral and legal duties to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians.

ICSPR