Today marks three years since Israel began its ongoing genocidal military campaign against more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Three years of mass killing and injury, starvation, repeated forced displacement, destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and the systematic destruction of the conditions of life necessary for survival.
The aim behind this genocide was, and still is, the destruction of Palestinian lives in the Gaza Strip with the aim of forcibly expelling Palestinians from their cities, villages, and towns, in continuation of the Nakba of 1948. This is not merely an analysis, but rather a reality that can be clearly concluded from both Israel’s actions on the ground and the continued genocidal public statements made by Israel’s most senior officials.
After three years, Palestinians in Gaza remain confined to less than 30% of the territory and are denied the most basic requirements for survival, including adequate access to water, food, healthcare, and shelter. Israel continues to besiege the Gaza Strip and impose severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, essential goods, machinery, and equipment necessary for survival and reconstruction.
Although a ceasefire was announced nearly one year ago, Palestinians continue to be killed on a daily basis. The majority are living in tents under harsh weather conditions, surrounded by the rubble of destroyed houses and buildings, with no future to look forward to. Gaza’s healthcare and educational systems have been devastated. Thousands of bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble, while thousands of Palestinians remain forcibly disappeared in Israeli detention, with their families denied information about their fate or whereabouts. The cumulative result is the systematic destruction of Palestinian life, society, and culture in Gaza.
Yet, the international community continues to fail to take concrete actions and measures to uphold international law and protect Palestinian civilians from Israel’s genocidal acts. Despite the overwhelming evidence and consensus among the human rights community on the characterization of the situation as one of genocide, the international community has abandoned the cries of two million Palestinians for protection, effectively turning a blind eye to Israel’s plan to destroy Palestinians’ past, present, and future in Gaza. This lack of recognition and failure to take protective action not only constitute a moral and legal failure but also amount to complicity on the part of the international community in exacerbating the suffering of Palestinians.
PCHR reiterates its rejection of the so-called Board of Peace and any externally imposed arrangement that seeks to place Gaza’s governance, reconstruction, or political future under foreign control. The framework endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2903 violates the basic principles of the UN Charter, as it places Gaza under an additional form of colonial control that denies Palestinians control over their own political future and their inalienable right to self-determination.
The world promised “Never Again” years ago. Today, as the live-streamed genocide enters its fourth year, PCHR demands that the international community take concrete steps to protect over two million Palestinians who are living in the biggest concentration camp in the world. The only way to do so is by holding Israel’s settler-colonial regime accountable for the atrocities committed. Expressions of condemnation and statements alone have long proven insufficient. The shameful silence and inaction must end, or else the consequences will be worse for both Palestinians and the international community.
PCHR reiterates its call on the international community to recognize the situation as one of genocide and to take immediate and effective measures in line with its obligations under international law and the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in relation to the situation in Gaza. PCHR reiterates its calls on States to impose immediate economic, diplomatic, and political sanctions, including a comprehensive arms embargo. PCHR also calls on States to support accountability efforts aimed at holding perpetrators of international crimes accountable for their actions, including by supporting the International Criminal Court in light of the unprecedented attacks it has been facing in relation to its investigation into the situation in Palestine.
PCHR stresses that ending the genocide must be accompanied by concrete measures to address the root causes: Israel’s unlawful occupation, the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and entrenched impunity. As long as these root causes remain unaddressed, cycles of violence will continue to erupt. Ending the genocide must therefore be accompanied by concrete measures to end Israel’s unlawful occupation and enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, including the rights to self-determination and return.
