Statement: Condemning Israeli Atrocities in North Gaza and Calling for Immediate Intervention
STATEMENT:
Condemning Israeli Atrocities in North Gaza and Calling for Immediate Intervention
The General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific condemns in the strongest terms the relentless and accelerating atrocities being perpetrated by Israel, the illegal occupying power, against the Palestinian people in Gaza, particularly in the increasingly isolated northern Gaza Strip.
As stated by HE Ambassador Dr Riyad Mansour before the UN Security Council yesterday, what is happening in northern Gaza now is another level of monstrosity. Since tightening Israel’s military siege on northern Gaza at the start of this month, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have further intensified their efforts to isolate and depopulate the area, including through intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians of essential means of survival, while bombarding them relentlessly, and ordering the expulsion of an estimated 400,000 Palestinians trapped in northern Gaza. Oxfam and 37 other humanitarian organisations have stressed in an joint statement that “this is not an evacuation – this is forced displacement under gunfire,” and warn that hospitals are being ordered to evacuate while wounded victims of Israeli airstrikes continue to flood in, with no resources to treat them. The UN World Food Program reports that no food aid has been permitted to enter northern Gaza since 1 October; people have run out of ways to cope and food systems have collapsed. Tens of thousands of civilian families trapped in northern Gaza are being forced to choose between staying to die by starvation, or being displaced to face death elsewhere. These gross violations of international humanitarian law come within the framework of the far-right Israeli government’s vision for the so-called ‘day-after’, which involves separating northern Gaza entirely and imposing a long-term Israeli administrative regime through direct military control, potentially extending over the entire Gaza Strip.
The General Delegation welcomes Australia’s condemnation of the killing of innocent civilians by Israel, as articulated by Australian Foreign Minister Senator the Hon Penny Wong in a statement published on X, describing the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza as “unacceptable” and calling for Israel to allow essential supplies to flow. However, it is incumbent upon the Australian Government to translate these words of condemnation into immediate and concrete action. The international community, including Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, must urgently intervene through joint and separate action to put pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip. The importance and significance of this cannot be overstated.
The General Delegation further welcomes Foreign Minister Wong’s call for Australia to engage on new ways to build momentum towards a lasting peace, including the role of the Security Council in setting a pathway for two-states, with a clear timeline for the international declaration of Palestinian statehood. It should be highlighted in this context that the UN General Assembly recently adopted a Resolution [ES-10/24] endorsing the 19 July advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). This Resolution, supported by 124 countries, demands inter alia that Israel ends its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) within 12 months.
Crucially, the ICJ advisory opinion and Resolution ES-10/24 call upon all States to comply with their international legal obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT, nor to render aid or assistance in maintaining it. It is our hope and expectation that Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand will respect and implement this vital element of the ICJ advisory opinion through obliging Israel to immediately end its unlawful prolonged occupation, without further delay.
The international community is not powerless. We must respond to the brutal use of force with the full force of the law. It is time to act.
For more information, please contact the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.