Two Months Under Siege: UN Palestinian Rights Committee Bureau Demands Immediate Lifting of Gaza Blockade, Welcomes Ongoing ICJ Proceedings
The following statement was issued today by the Bureau of the General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People:
The Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee condemns the unfolding events since the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire on 18 March and the illegal blockade and siege imposed since 2 March by Israel, the occupying Power, that has cut off all food, fuel, medicine and commercial supplies to the Palestinian civilian population and has already taken thousands of lives through bombardment and deprivation since it broke the ceasefire. Since 18 March, more than 2,308 Palestinians have been killed, part of over 52,400 killed and 118,000 injured, the majority of them women and children, since 7 October 2023, amid relentless bombardment and blockade.
It has been two unbearable months of Israeli siege upon more than 2 million people of the Gaza Strip, children, women, older persons, youth and ordinary people who are being collectively punished. The United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) announcement on 25 April of the delivery of its last remaining stocks of food, underscores the life and death urgency of the situation which will silently kill even more children and women. Israel’s punitive action, preventing all humanitarian access to Gaza, has compounded conditions of starvation, spread of diseases and deprivation among a population of more than 1.9 million forcibly and repeatedly displaced. Such measures flagrantly violate international humanitarian and human rights law, defy the most basic principles of humanity and must end immediately.
The Committee Bureau calls for an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire, in line with Security Council resolution 2735 (2024) and for the immediate, unconditional lifting of the blockade, the sustained flow of food, water, fuel, medicine and other essentials, and full protection for humanitarian personnel and for the civilian population in accordance with international law.
The Committee Bureau rejects any proposals to displace Palestinians from Gaza under the guise of so-called “voluntary migration” or “redevelopment” to entrench this unlawful occupation. These proposals are inhumane and illegal. The Committee Bureau urges Member States, the Security Council and all parties with influence to act now before more Palestinian civilians brutally lose their lives. The catastrophic situation in Gaza highlights the importance of the Committee Bureau-endorsed ongoing advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether Israel violates international law as it prevents the UN, international humanitarian organization and States from providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians under its brutal occupation. The Committee Bureau urges the Court to issue its opinion swiftly, as its guidance is indispensable at this critical juncture and will serve as further guidance for Member States to act in line with their legal, political and humanitarian responsibilities.
The upcoming High-Level International Conference in June, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, presents a timely and vital opportunity to mobilize renewed international support towards ending the Israeli unlawful occupation, realizing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and establishing a viable two-State solution for achieving a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. The UN Palestinian Rights Committee stands ready to contribute actively to this effort and strongly support the objectives of the Conference.