Asian Lay Leaders (ALL) Forum has painfully witnessed what has happened in Gaza Strip for the past two months. It is not simply killings of human beings there, rather it has become a genocide of the innocent people in the region.
ALL Forum joins the civil society in Asia in expressing its strong solidarity with people in Gaza Strip and strongly condemns the war on the region – killing tens of thousands of people including many civilians especially children and women since October in 2023.
According to Reuters on December 10, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 17,700 Palestinians have been killed and 48,780 wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza since Oct. 7. Despite a week-long ceasefire in late November, Israel resumed to bombard the besieged Gaza as soon as the ceasefire ended on December 1, leading and intensifying the war with increased death toll and casualties.
The sharp increase in violence has rendered all humanitarian aid delivered during the brief ceasefire meaningless. The shocking death toll, the complete destruction of health facilities, and the lack of clean drinking water, electricity, basic sanitation, and livelihoods have led to more children dying of disease and starvation. The constant bombardment has also caused emotional distress and unimaginable trauma to children and families in the region. To date we call on the military of Israel to disclose to the International Community solid evidence of the hospital being used as Hamas offensive operations.
With the launch of Israel’s ground operation in southern Gaza on Dec. 3, millions of refugees who fled from the north to the south now have nowhere to go. Gaza’s health system has now completely collapsed, and the few hospitals still operating have become “battlegrounds,” according to UNICEF staff.
The deaths and injuries of children are unacceptable under any circumstances. In war and conflict, civilians especially children are always innocent and cannot be targeted for violence. While humanitarian assistance is being provided, the escalation of violence is only making the situation in Gaza more and more dangerous for humanitarian workers and civilians. With the intensity of violence reaching a new high in the past two months, many civic and religious groups have been calling for an immediate and full ceasefire and the expansion of humanitarian access.
ALL Forum expresses its deep disappointment and regret at the silence of superpower countries, as these atrocities continue. The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Japan rejected the first UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. The second resolution calling for a pause in fighting to pave the way for humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza was also declined by the US. In addition, the U.S. sent two aircraft carriers to support Israel and decided to provide additional, unconditional arms aid for the latter.
Under the situation, therefore, ALL Forum strongly calls for an immediate and full ceasefire, protection of civilians, and intensifying humanitarian aid. Israel must immediately stop bombing Gaza, lift the blockade and withdraw its plans for ground troops in the war-torn region and must also immediately withdraw from all military occupation zones, including Gaza. We call for Israel to return to a path of peace and respect for international human rights law.
December 13, 2023
All board members, representatives of partner organizations, and members of ALL Forum