The Ramallah-based Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) condemned in an urgent appeal to the international community the Israeli occupation forces continued systematic aggression against the Gaza Strip and its escalation for the sixth consecutive day.
ICHR held the occupying Power, [Israel], fully responsible for the lives of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, for the scheme of expulsion and forced displacement of dozens of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, and the profound humanitarian impacts and repercussions on the affected families.
“ICHR demands an end of the occupation crimes in Sheikh Jarrah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, respect for its sanctity, and the protection of the holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. ICHR also calls for exerting efforts and take immediate and urgent measures and interventions to stop the imminent forced evictions of Palestinians in the neighborhood and to prevent their displacement from their homes in respect of the principles of international humanitarian law.”
ICHR condemned the crimes of the Israeli occupation forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip and their properties that amount to war crimes.
ICHR further warned of the consequences of the occupation forces escalating their aggression and crimes and expanding their military operations against the Palestinians, which will cause innocent civilian casualties, especially among children and women. It also warns of the escalation of the occupation and settlers’ crimes against the Palestinians in all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the city of Jerusalem.
ICHR also denounced the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip. It affirmed that the silence of the international community and impunity of the occupying power encouraged it to persist in its aggression and commit more crimes in Gaza, which is still suffering from the effects of the previous repeated Israeli aggressions and tight siege.
It further affirmed that the international community holding the occupying state accountable for its grave crimes against the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory would be less costly than dealing with the various humanitarian, social, economic, and political repercussions of the aggression against the Gaza Strip and the implementation of ethnic cleansing policies in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Accordingly, ICHR called the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Time of War of 1949, to stand before their legal and moral obligations and provide protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory. Take urgent action and effective measures to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Exert serious pressure on the occupying power to stop its aggression against the occupied Gaza Strip immediately. Protect the lives of its residents, prevent more losses of their lives, put an end to the Israeli terror and gross violations of Gaza residents’ rights and their right to property and ensure that the occupying power respects the principles of international humanitarian law that are binding in all cases.
“ICHR demand from the international community and the specialized United Nations organizations to take all measures to stop the mass forced displacement carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
ICHR also called International Criminal Court to investigate the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip, against civilians and children, in every aggression it launched against the Strip and to hold accountable the occupation leaders who gave orders to commit these crimes and whoever carried them out.
ICHR called for the need for international humanitarian organizations to provide for the humanitarian needs of the forcibly displaced in the Gaza Strip, including food, medical supplies, medicines, and clean drinking water.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA