Palestinian NGOs Network: We Demand an End to Genocide and Starvation in Gaza and Cease Annexation and Ethnic Cleansing Policies in the West Bank

SadaNews - The Palestinian NGOs Network has launched an urgent call to the international community, the United Nations, and international and humanitarian institutions for immediate intervention to compel the occupying state to halt the open genocide against the Palestinian people that has been ongoing for more than 21 months, and to work through all possible means to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip amidst the escalating starvation policies and collective punishment imposed on unarmed civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. The speakers emphasized the importance of establishing clear international mechanisms to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes it is committing in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, demanding the enforcement of international law and the suspension of trade agreements, including trade exchanges, and arms deals, preventing their supply to the occupying state.

Dr. Mustapha Barghouti, head of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, opened the conference held in the network hall in Ramallah by emphasizing the compounded crimes committed by the occupying state, including genocide, starvation, and collective punishment, all of which represent a violation of all red lines. He reviewed, with numbers, what more than 2.2 million people are facing, noting that more than 110 citizens have died from starvation and over 70,000 children are on the brink of death, warning of the potential loss of hundreds in the coming days due to the lack of milk, food, and essential materials, in addition to more than 60,000 pregnant women facing a lack of basic medical supplies for safe childbirth.
Barghouti indicated that over 100 martyrs fall daily, with about 500 injured, among whom 159 were martyred while attempting to obtain assistance, confirming that the aid centers managed by what is called the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" have become death traps set by the occupation, in addition to isolated pockets in the south of the sector aimed at implementing a displacement scheme.
On his part, Taysir Mohsen, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the NGOs Network from Gaza, addressed an open humanitarian message via "Zoom" to the world’s peoples on behalf of the residents of Gaza, urging the intensification of their activities to pressure for an end to the genocide, describing the deteriorating situation in the sector as a true humanitarian catastrophe and daily death, with the world remaining inactive, demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as the swift delivery of assistance by opening crossings, compelling the occupying government to respect international law, and calling for the activation of legal means to prosecute and hold the occupation accountable for its crimes, considering that the priority is now to protect the displaced and homeless as a precursor to comprehensive reconstruction and distribution of aid through an international mechanism, free from extortion, in addition to forming a unified Palestinian delegation for negotiations.
For his part, Halami Al-Araj, a member of the network's coordinating committee, praised the steadfastness exhibited by our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the face of the occupation in an unprecedented state despite all the killing and destruction, blaming the international community for the full responsibility for what is happening while expanding global mobilization through massive marches and demonstrations taking place in cities and capitals worldwide daily in support of the oppressed in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip, warning that leaving the Palestinian people alone encourages the occupation to continue its series of crimes, and pointing to the importance of the pivotal historical moment that the Palestinian cause is experiencing, demanding a serious stand to stop genocide and starvation through direct and immediate practical measures and the protection of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people.
For his part, Abi Al-Aboudi, Secretary of the network, affirmed the responsibilities of states under international law, including, first, stopping the genocide, which includes direct intervention by all available means, while the genocide continues amidst ongoing negotiations where bombing and destruction also persist, noting that more than 88% of the sector is currently under direct military orders of the occupation, with citizens being gathered in enclaves to force them to leave, and Al-Aboudi pointed out the failure of the international system established after World War II in applying the principles of international law, calling for the cessation of arms supply agreements to Israel and a boycott of it.
At the end of the press conference, the importance of restoring national unity and unifying the comprehensive Palestinian vision within a political system capable of facing new developments and challenges was emphasized. The participants demanded the need to stop betting on any future role for the United States, which is a full partner in the occupation's crimes against the Palestinian people, stressing that the shortest path to achieving the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people comes through international will to impose sanctions on Israel, the occupying power.
On another note, the speakers called upon the sons and daughters of our people to participate in the hunger strike next Sunday in solidarity with our people in Gaza who are suffering from starvation, and to reject the crime of genocide, and to head tomorrow, Thursday, to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in the Msaifeh area to donate blood for the families of Gaza and patients with thalassemia in the sector as part of the "Our Blood is One" campaign, expressing solidarity among the one people and supporting the Gaza Strip which is facing a severe shortage of blood units.