24/1/2024

4/2024

ICHR appeals to the international community, relevant United Nations agencies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for immediate intervention to save thousands of lives trapped in shelters and hospitals in Khan Younis

As the genocide waged by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip enters its 110th day, the Israeli military has intensified its operations in the Khan Younis Governorate. This escalation includes ongoing, systematic assaults on civilians, shelters for the displaced, and hospitals, all under the strain of a severe blockade. Hospitals in particular have been cut off from the rest of Khan Younis, making the rescue operations of the wounded and sick impossible.

Just a while ago, Israeli occupation tanks targeted with two shells a training center belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) west of Khan Younis, known as the Industry Headquarters. This attack sparked a significant fire at the facility, resulting in the death of at least 14 displaced individuals and injuring many others. The Industry Headquarters, one of UNRWA's shelters in Khan Younis, provides refuge to ten thousand displaced people. Following the attack, Israeli tanks encircled the center, obstructing access for civil defense and ambulance services to reach and evacuate the injured.

We, at ICHR, are trying to contact one of our employees trapped in the center with his family after they were displaced to it at the beginning of the war, but to no avail so far.

We, hereby, issue an urgent appeal to the UNRWA, ICRC, and relevant United Nations agencies to intervene immediately and fulfill their duty to protect innocent civilians and work to lift the siege on hospitals and shelters immediately and ensure the movement of medical teams.

Israel's ongoing targeting of civilians, including displaced individuals in areas previously declared safe by the military, as well as hospitals and shelters such as those operated by the UNRWA, clearly underscores the intent behind its actions in the Gaza Strip. We urge the international community to condemn these actions and apply pressure to stop the Genocide. Furthermore, we advocate for holding Israel and its leaders accountable for their crimes against Gaza's civilian population