As an Australian of Palestinian descent, the last few days have been overwhelming. Gaza is being destroyed and over one million of our people are being forcibly displaced with nowhere safe to go. Hundreds of children have been victims of bombing, medical personnel and hospitals have been targeted. At least 50 families have been wiped from the Civil Registry in Gaza. We collectively feel like it’s a second Nakba.
Thousands of civilians have been killed in the escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. As the world watches in horror, Amnesty International has been researching, monitoring, and documenting human rights violations, campaigning for the protection of Israeli and Palestinian civilians. And, Amnety’s Digital Evidence Lab has been verifying evidence, like the use of white phosphorus by the Israeli Defence Force. The escalation in violence began on 7 October when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel, kidnapping and killing civilians across several towns. One of the first targets was the Supernova music festival, held in the Negev desert in southern Israel where at least 260 people were killed. Hamas has since taken more than 200 Israeli people hostage, among them are children and elderly. Amnesty condemns this abhorrent act on humanity and calls for all civilians held hostage to be released immediately, unconditionally, and unharmed. Israel responded by launching thousands of airstrikes on Gaza, an area only 12 kilometres wide and 50 kilometres long, that struck civilians, hospitals, ambulances and UN agencies. Significant legal and humanitarian concerns were raised when on 13 October, one million residents of Gaza were warned to evacuate within 24 hours.
More than 500 people were killed in an airstrike on Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on 17 October, where thousands of civilians were seeking medical treatment and shelter. Electricity, food, water, and fuel have been cut off and international aid agencies are unable to deliver urgent supplies, bringing Gaza critically close to a widespread humanitarian crisis. Our grief continues to reach new depths as Gaza runs out of body bags, Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances are targeted, medical workers are killed and children are being swapped to prevent families from being entirely exterminated. People are starving and drinking sea water to survive.
Amnesty International is calling on all parties to abide by international law and make every effort to avoid civilian bloodshed. The root causes of these cycles of violence are complex, and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. This requires upholding international law and ending Israel’s 16-year-long illegal blockade on Gaza, and all other aspects of Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians. Justice and security can only be achieved if Israel and Palestinian armed groups uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. Amnesty is calling for:
Seeing events unfold since 7th October are extremely painful as the real victims here are innocent people and children. Now more than ever, we need to unite for the thousands of voices that have been silenced. Together, our words and actions can have a transformative impact. Amnesty has compiled testimonies from people living through this catastrophe in Gaza. Please, share these people’s stories on your social media so that your friends and family know what is happening in Gaza right now. In hope,  PS. You can donate to support Amnesty’s crisis response and help us continue our investigation to research, monitor and document human rights violations and call for perpetrators to be held to justice. |