The heads of 18 UN and non-UN humanitarian organizations have issued a rare joint statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Israel and Palestine.
The statement said, “Enough is enough. This must stop now.”
The letter was signed by the heads of the 18 organizations, known as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
The joint statement denounced the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel where some 1,400 people were killed and more than 200 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
It also said Israel’s killings of civilians in Gaza are an “outrage,” adding that 2.2 million Palestinians in the besieged enclave have been denied access to food, water, medicine, electricity, and fuel while being bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship.
“This is unacceptable,” the statement said.
Hamas on Sunday said the Israeli army carried out “intense bombings” on areas around several hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip, shortly after telecommunications were cut, the AFP reported.
Israel cut internet and phone lines in the Strip, a third communications blackout since the start of the war on October 7.
Israeli air strikes have killed more than 9,500 people in Gaza, including 3,900 children and over 2,400 women, according to the Ministry of Health. More than 23,000 injured people require immediate treatment within “overstretched hospitals,” the humanitarian organizations’ statement said.
The joint statement called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of all civilian hostages.
It said, “We renew our plea for the parties to respect all their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Several aid workers working in the enclave have been killed since the start of the war, including 88 UNRWA members – the highest number of UN fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict.
More than 100 attacks against healthcare facilities have been reported, the statement highlighted, demanding the protection of hospitals, shelters, and schools.
At least 15 people were killed on Saturday when Israel hit a UNRWA school where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
