GENEVA – Geneva Council for Human Rights and Justice (GCHRJ) sent letters to European Union foreign ministers calling upon an end to Israel’s military escalation in the Gaza Strip.
GCHRJ, an international human rights group, said in its letters that the EU must act immediately to pressure Israel to stop its military offensive attacks on the Gaza Strip and end its blockade imposed since 2006.
The Human Rights council; noted that since 2006, following its withdrawal from Gaza, Israel has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, including a travel ban on the Palestinian live in the strip excepting few cases. Israeli policy has caused severe suffering to the civilians, hundreds of whom lost their lives due to the lack of medicines and permits to leave Gaza.
According to GCHRJ, Israel, being the occupying power in Gaza, is primarily responsible for this human suffering, which involves various violations of human rights.
Since 2008, Israel has launched three major military operations in Gaza that have killed nearly 4,000 Palestinians and wounded 30,000 others, in addition to the total destruction of already poor infrastructure in the Strip.
Recently, because of the continued siege imposed on Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians participated in a peaceful protest against the Israeli siege and continued wars against Gaza, known as the “Great March of Return”. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Israel responded with deadly force, killing more than 200 Palestinians and wounding some 20,000 others.
Last Sunday, a secret Israeli force entered Gaza in the night, killing seven Palestinians and injuring others during a time of a ceasefire accepted by both sides. This has led to renewed hostilities in the Strip, with another six Palestinians reported dead.
Geneva Council for Human Rights and Justice stressed that owing to Israel’s policy of blockade and military operations made the life of two million Palestinians in Gaza Strip become almost impossible, a policy of no use and proved to be harmful.
“The Palestinians in Gaza have made it clear to all parties that they will no longer accept to die slowly in silence. They have burned their prison walls. The EU must listen to their calls and pressure the Israeli government to end their siege.”, said GCHRJ.
“The action now means less suffering for the people of Gaza, but waiting for more to prevent what appears to be another massacre in Gaza will make the celebration of the end of the First World War in Paris last week attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Sharett Netanyahu, is a useless show for the call To peace, which Gaza deserves on an equally”, It added.
