Urgent Appeal to Terminate the Israeli Siege of the Gaza Strip

Day by day, the Israeli occupying authorities are aggravating the humanitarian crisis developing in the Gaza Strip. Most recently, the Israeli occupying forces have imposed a total siege over 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza including preventing the supply of essential food, electricity and fuel.

Meanwhile, as this humanitarian crisis develops, Israeli forces are conducting ongoing killings, assassinations and air attacks. In total breach of international law, the Israeli occupying authorities have imposed collective punishment on 1.5 million civilians in the Gaza Strip. All aspects of civil life and its basic necessities have now been paralysed - surgical operations and medical aid are suspended at hospitals, whilst raw sewage is spilling into the streets, forewarning of an impending humanitarian and environmental catastrophe.

The Israeli siege has interrupted urgent medical operations as well as prevented delivery of health services. Additionally, essential food supplies for all Palestinian civilians, including children, are now at alarmingly low levels. If permitted to continue, the Israeli siege will inevitably result in the deaths of innocent civilians, including infants.

In contravention of international humanitarian law the Israeli occupying authorities are now preventing humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), from delivering humanitarian aid and food supplies to the Gaza Strip. Approximately 900,000 Palestinian civilians depend on these supplies.

The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network (PNGO) urgently appeals to the international community, including the United States of America, as sponsor of the recent peace initiative, to shoulder its legal, ethical and moral duties to place pressure on the Israeli occupying authorities to end the illegal siege of 1.5 million civilians in the Gaza Strip.

PNGO demands that crossings points, including Rafah Crossing on the Egyptian border, be immediately opened. Food, fuel and electricity supplies must immediately resume to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip Civilians requiring medical attention must be immediately allowed to travel abroad to receive treatment. In addition, Israeli incursions, extra-judicial killings and air attacks should cease.

PNGO further demands that UNRWA, and all other international humanitarian organisations be allowed access to Gaza to deliver essential services to the civilian population.

Further, PNGO demands that the United Nations launches an urgent investigation into the humanitarian situation in Gaza and breaches of international law.

PNGO calls on the international community to take immediate measures to compel Israel to stop the collective punishment of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and to fulfil its legal obligations under international law.

The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO)

The Palestinian NGO Network(PNGO)

Phone :+972-2-2975320/1

Fax :+972-2-2950704

E-mail : pngonet@pngo.net