Call for a ceasefire and the right to life in Gaza
The World Coalition is an alliance of more than 160 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions. It aims to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its objective is to obtain the universal abolition of the death penalty. As a human rights network fighting against the death penalty and state-sponsored executions, we are horrified by the cruel human rights situation and the grave violations of international humanitarian law committed against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Since the launch of the military campaign on Gaza, the Israeli army has targeted civilians and civilian objects on a large scale and indiscriminately; it has inflicted massive destruction, with more than 70% of Gaza’s homes destroyed or damaged; more than 1.6 million Palestinians were displaced across Gaza, the majority of them already refugees or descendants of 1948 refugees; it targeted journalists, medical personnel, ambulances, schools, places of worship, mosques, churches, universities, shelters and hospitals, as well as water, electricity, telecommunications and energy infrastructures, among others.
In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to implement six interim measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza from a real risk of genocide. With each passing day, more lives are lost and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsens.
The promotion of human rights, such as the quest to end the death penalty, means nothing if those fighting for the right to life do not condemn other atrocities committed against humanity, such as the horrific project to destroy the Palestinian people in Gaza.
We express our solidarity with the World Coalition’s member organizations based in Palestine and with the Palestinian people facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. We urge States and influential international and regional bodies to uphold international law and prevent further bloodshed and destruction through concrete action, including by demanding an immediate permanent ceasefire, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and a halt to arms transfers that could lead to further violations of the right to life.
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State of Palestine
