Since 7 October 2023, despite all the reactions of the international community and international organisations, Israel has continued its violent attacks against the Palestinian civilian population in violation of humanitarian law norms and international law. According to the latest data, Israel, which did not cease its attacks even during Eid al-Fitr, which is considered sacred for Muslims, has attacked Gaza with more than 70,000 tonnes of explosives since 7 October 2023, killing 33,686 people, including 14,560 children and 9,582 women.(1)
Israel's ongoing air and ground attacks and blockade on hospitals, civilian settlements, places of worship and international aid organisations in the Gaza Strip cause civilians to be unable to access their basic needs. According to the statement made by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the Israeli authorities denied the entry of two humanitarian aid packages, that included basic health supplies and 20,000 litres of fuel, which were planned to be delivered to the north of Gaza. Accordingly, in the last week, 40 per cent of the humanitarian aid planned to be delivered by UNOCHA to northern Gaza was denied entry by Israel.(2)
Thousands of Palestinians, especially infants and children, are unable to access basic food, clean water and medical supplies due to the denial of humanitarian aid. As noted by Human Rights Watch, Israel uses hunger as a weapon alongside conventional weapons, and thousands of civilians, mostly children and elderly, who cannot access sufficient food and clean water, lose their lives as a result. According to surveys conducted in the region by international organisations coordinated by the United Nations, 70% of the population in the north of Gaza is struggling with deadly starvation.(3)
On 28 March, in the case of South Africa v. Israel before the International Court of Justice, the Court, noting that the living conditions of Palestinians had worsened, in particular due to prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other basic needs, ordered additional measures to ensure the delivery of basic needs and emergency humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and health supplies.(4)However, even though the resolution is binding on Israel, it commits war crimes by not implementing the necessary measures in violation of international law and causes the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to deepen.
In the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of essential items for their survival, including the deliberate obstruction of relief supplies, and the deliberate attack on hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are gathered, are recognized as war crimes. Since the first day of the attacks on Gaza, Israel has been committing war crimes, continuing to bomb civilian settlements and hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law and its obligations under international conventions to which it is a party, causing people to die of starvation and malnutrition.
As the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye, we once again condemn the systematic and widespread attacks by Israel against the civilian population in Gaza, which constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute, and call on all actors of the international community to take a more effective role in the face of the ongoing violations of rights in Gaza.
Respectfully announced to the public.