Urgent call to end impunity for atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine and Lebanon

Saferworld calls on United Nations (UN) Member States to immediately use all measures at their disposal to bring to an end the mass killings of civilians, ethnic cleansing, deliberate starvation and withholding of humanitarian aid perpetrated by the Israeli military against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. More than a year since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza, mass killing of civilians has become normalised, as Israel’s allies – including the UK and the US – sustain the narrative that this horrific violence is justified as self-defence and continue to supply Israel with arms. A comprehensive arms embargo on Israel should be applied immediately by all states.

On 15 October 2023, nearly 800 international law and genocide scholars warned of a grave risk of genocide by Israel against Palestinians in its military assault on Gaza. Despite urgent orders to protect Palestinians from genocide by the International Court of Justice in January 2024 and the UN Special Rapporteur’s findings in April 2024 that the threshold for genocide had been met, the catastrophic violence perpetrated by Israel’s military has continued unrestrained, causing unimaginable human suffering.

The indiscriminate use of air strikes is thought to have killed over 43,000 people – with at least 10,000 missing and believed to be buried under rubble – the majority of whom are women and children, with more women and children killed in Gaza by the Israeli army than in any other recent conflict over a single year. Around 90 per cent of Palestinians in the Gaza strip have fled their homes because they have been bombed or due to the ‘displacement orders’ issued by the Israeli military, which cover 84 per cent of Gaza’s territory. The widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure has created an unlivable environment for Palestinians in Gaza, and there is also a risk of famine from November if the conflict continues and humanitarian access remains restricted. The recent passing of legislation by the Knesset, which bans operations by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, has devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians and constitutes a breach of the UN Charter.  

In addition to the scorched-earth war on Palestinians in Gaza, Palestinians living in the West Bank face escalating attacks from Israeli settlers – increasingly acting in concert with the army or wearing army uniforms themselves – to dispossess them from homes and land, political arrests, and increasingly frequent indiscriminate military raids including air strikes that have led to hundreds of deaths. Israel’s decision to attack Lebanon in September 2024 has added to the toll of human suffering, with an estimated 2,700 civilians already killed by Israeli forces in indiscriminate attacks.  

Daily acts of inhumanity and violence perpetrated against civilians in Gaza have become normalised, contributing to the effective dehumanisation of Palestinian and Lebanese people. Children and vulnerable adults are left to die in the streets after being shot by Israeli snipers, and hospitals are bombed or invaded, leading to 20 hospitals no longer functioning. Palestinian women and girls face acute protection threats including physical, psychological and sexual violence inflicted by Israeli soldiers and settlers, causing severe trauma and distress. They experience severe restrictions in privacy and safe spaces, along with limited access to legal support and almost inexistent reproductive and maternal healthcare and support for women experiencing gender-based violence, exposing them to abuse and health risks. Israel’s allies tacitly support this violence and dehumanisation by failing to deploy their full leverage to hold Israel accountable for its abuses against civilians, including ceasing all forms of military and diplomatic support.

One concrete step is for states like the UK and the US to immediately end all arms exports for which Israel is the ultimate recipient, including but not limited to the aircraft, bombs and missiles, and their components, that are used against civilians in Gaza and elsewhere. There must be an end to the supply of any arms at risk of use in serious violations of international law. In addition, in light of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion stating that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is a continuous illegal act, all states should have in place a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel until the occupation ends, as the supply of any military or security equipment to Israel provides direct material support to that illegal occupation.

The continuation of the horrors perpetrated against civilians by Israeli forces will not bring peace and security to the people of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran or the wider region, and it has failed to secure the release of the hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023, who have suffered more than a year of captivity. As the days and months go by, it is critical to use every possible measure to pressure Israel to end the ongoing violence, to end the suffering and open a path for negotiated resolution.

Saferworld stands in solidarity with Palestinians in their search for an end to Israel’s illegal military occupation and the systematic discrimination against them, which UN Special Rapporteurs and Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organisations consider to be apartheid – a crime against humanity. Addressing the root causes of the conflict, including structural injustice, is essential to reach sustainable peace.

Photo credit: Mohammed Ibrahim