Israel's Attacks in Gaza: Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing Scale

Saskia Kluyt, Special Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, officially declared that the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip have turned into genocide and ethnic cleansing.

According to her, the people of Gaza have been trapped in an increasingly shrinking area, deprived of the means to protect themselves from bombings and attacks. She emphasized that the so-called “safe zones” are not actually safe:

“All this, as well as the statements made by the Israeli government regarding the fate of Gaza’s residents, clearly shows that Israel’s actions amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing,” said Kluyt.

She also condemned Israel for blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip since March 2.

“The biggest victims of this violence are children. They are deprived of food, drinking water, medical care, and shelter. This is a gross violation of children’s right to life,” Kluyt added.

The special rapporteur demanded that the Israeli government immediately stop attacks on civilians, allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, and adhere to international legal norms. She also called on the international community to take action to stop the shooting in Gaza.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also stressed at a press conference in New York that the residents of Gaza are going through extremely difficult trials. According to him, Israel has been blocking the entry of humanitarian aid for 80 days, leaving the entire population under the threat of hunger and thirst.

According to the latest data, Israel has allowed 400 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter, but only 115 of them have reached their destination. Guterres called this volume of aid “a drop in the ocean.”

The total halt of water, food, and medicine deliveries has further deepened the humanitarian catastrophe. International organizations report that 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip are suffering from hunger, thirst, and various diseases. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that aid is only a few minutes away, yet thousands of people’s lives are still at risk.

French President Emmanuel Macron also noted that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached an unbearable level.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has launched a military operation in response to a Hamas attack, resulting in the deaths of 53,822 Palestinians. The majority of them are children and women.