On October 27, 2023, Gaza began experiencing unprecedented and brutal attacks in its history, from the air, land, and sea- amid a complete blackout of communications, electricity, and the internet. This comes hours after the spokesperson for the Israeli occupation army threatened to bomb Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex and the biggest shelter for displaced and homeless people whose homes were destroyed over the past 20 days.
This horrifying escalation comes just one day after an emergency meeting of the United Nations, where member states failed to issue a binding resolution to halt the military aggression carried out by Israeli occupation forces or to secure the essential livelihoods of the Palestinian people.
What is happening in Gaza now is an ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and use of internationally prohibited weapons and strategies for comprehensive destruction, with the participation and support of the United States and the blessings of European countries that turn a blind eye to the humanitarian suffering of the people of Gaza and support the occupation in its merciless actions, undermining international law, human rights, and threatening regional and global security and peace.
The streets are filled with dozens of bodies in darkness, and thousands of wounded people are crowding hospitals and the adjacent streets, in the midst of a near-total collapse of the healthcare system, severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and the dust of the demolished buildings filling the air, accompanied by the terrifying sounds of shelling and the cries of children and women, in a scene reminiscent of the end of the world.
Despite this, the occupation continues to demand that civilians evacuate their homes to be safe, a demand it did not honour in previous instances. In reality, there is no safe place in Gaza, and the intense bombardment does not differentiate between schools, hospitals, refugee camps, international organizations, or ambulances.
Since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, 7,326 civilians have been killed, including 2,913 children and 1,709 women, with over 18,500 wounded, in addition to 1,650 missing individuals, including 900 children under the rubble. Israeli massacres have also resulted in the deaths of 104 medical personnel and injuries to 100 others, as well as the killing of 24 journalists and 57 UNRWA employees, in addition to the displacement of more than 1.4 million people after their homes were completely destroyed.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health in Gaza has announced the closure of 12 hospitals and 32 primary care centres due to direct Israeli targeting or their inability to continue operating due to fuel shortages.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) urges the international community and the United Nations General Assembly to take effective and urgent action to confront the Israeli occupation’s arrogance and its supporters and to stop the ongoing war crimes in Gaza and other Palestinian territories.
AOHR UK emphasizes that demanding an end to the aggression means taking immediate action without delay or procrastination, as the occupation’s aggression claims lives rapidly, and it cannot wait for the international community or adhere to its official protocols.
AOHR UK underscores that if the world allows these brutal attacks and acts of genocide in Gaza to continue, it would be a declaration of the death of laws, treaties, and international organizations. How can the world assess the weight of these laws and treaties if they are not translated into real actions to enforce and uphold them?
