We, the undersigned organisations, appeal to all UN member states to secure an immediate ceasefire across Gaza, Lebanon, Israel and the region, and to end the impunity that has allowed atrocities by Israeli forces against civilians to continue and escalate. Without accountability, there will be no red lines and no rock bottom.

Israel’s war in Gaza, following the deadly attacks by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023, is the latest and most horrific onslaught of violence in the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. After a year of unfathomable killing and destruction, patterns of civilian harm by Israeli forces are spreading and escalating from Gaza to Lebanon, while rocket attacks by armed groups in Lebanon continue. We are now on the precipice of even greater devastation across the region.

Failure to act now is a choice - a choice that will fail to stop and prevent future atrocities. The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded last week that Israel has committed war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities in Gaza, and called on member states to “cease aiding or assisting in the commission of violations.”

Over the last 12 months, the UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Gaza, including one calling for a ceasefire, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention. The ICJ also issued an Advisory Opinion that found that Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory is illegal, and the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding that Israel end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) within 12 months. Despite this, none of these measures have been implemented or adhered to.

The international community’s egregious disregard for international law and the government of Israel’s unchecked impunity in Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon, has set dangerous new precedents for the conduct of war.

For civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Lebanon and Israel this has resulted in:

• Israeli military actions killing over 43,000 Palestinians across the oPt and more than 2,000 people in Lebanon.
• Israeli forces issuing displacement orders covering over 84% of Gaza's territory and now 25% of Lebanon’s territory. These orders, combined with Israel’s bombardment, have forcibly displaced around 90% of Gaza's population and over 700,000 people in Lebanon.
• An estimated 400,000 Palestinians are under siege and relentless bombardment in northern Gaza without access to food, water, fuel, or medical care. (UNRWA)
• The killing of over 300 Palestinian and international aid workers, and over 1000 health care workers in Gaza and 95 in Lebanon. UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon are also coming under attack by Israeli forces (UNIFIL). Israeli military attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances have decimated the health care system in Gaza, and are destroying it in Lebanon - leaving millions without access to care.
• Countless children and adults are dying of malnutrition and facing the risk of starvation, directly induced by the Israeli government’s siege on Gaza, which includes systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid and essential services. (IPC)
• The killing of nearly 1,200 people in Israel during the Palestinian armed group led attacks on October 7, 2023 (OCHA).
• Rockets fired by Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups have killed and injured dozens of people (Amnesty International) and displaced over 140,000 Israelis.
• 101 hostages remain held by Palestinian armed groups, and thousands of Palestinians are unlawfully detained by Israeli forces in detention centers, including children, many whose whereabouts are unknown and have effectively disappeared.

Many among us have repeatedly called for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire, hostage release, a halt to arms transfers, and de-escalation of tensions in the region, and yet the violence only appears to be intensifying. Again, we call on all Heads of State and Governments, the UN Security Council, and actors on the ground to prioritise the preservation of human life above all else by:

• Securing an immediate ceasefire by all parties to the conflict and an end to the indiscriminate attacks that kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure;
• Halting the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition to parties to the conflict that may be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law (IHL);
• Enabling unhindered humanitarian access for the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies and fuel, and the safe movements of civilians and aid workers.
• Ensuring the protection of civilians from further forced displacement, and the right to return for those forcibly displaced. Civilians who choose to stay or are unable to leave remain protected under international law.
• Securing the release of all hostages and detainees.
• Immediately activating independent international investigations into all apparent violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed by all parties.

Governments must do everything in their power to end this growing catastrophe and cycle of impunity. It is not only a moral imperative but a legal obligation. All Member States must prevent further atrocities and ensure that those responsible for any violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, are held accountable. Failure to act now risks further eroding international norms and emboldening perpetrators. The cycle of violence against civilians needs to stop.

Signatories:

Norwegian Refugee Council
Oxfam
KinderUSA
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Humanity & Inclusion/Handicap International
Médecins du Monde International Network
War Child
Asociación Otra Escuela
Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties
Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights
Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)
Egala Association
United Nations Association - UK (UNA-UK)
Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law
Jewish Network for Palestine
Avaaz
Pax christi Deutsche Sektion
Train of Hope Dortmund e. V.
Amos Trust
Pax Christi Flanders
The Syria Campaign
The Namibia NGO Forum Trust
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Pax Christi Australia
The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Ster Organization for human development
Human Rights Sentinel
Firefly International
Share The World's Resources
Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
Polish Medical Mission
Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Permanent Peace Movement
Emmaus International
Seenaryo
Medicus Mundi Italia
Omega Research Foundation
PAX
Minnesota Peace Project
Baytna pour le soutien de la société civile
Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
The Advocacy Academy
medico international
Muslim Delegates and Allies
Caritas MONA (Middle East and North Africa)
The International Federation for Rights and Development - IFRD
مؤسسة مدافعات للحقوق والحريات
مؤسسة لاجلك للاستجابة والتنميه 
WeWorld
Human Security Collective
ABCD Bethlehem
Lebanese Center for human Rights
The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security
ICNA SISTERS CANADA 
The socio-economic Justice Initiative-MAAN
Hivos
ALEF - act for human rights
Olof Palmes Internationella Center
Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR) 
Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax
France Palestine Mental Health Network
Clowns Without Borders UK
Resource Centre for human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED)
Peace Watch Switzerland
Protection International
Initiatives et Changement
PVE Works
Collective Aid
Equal Legal Aid
Belgium Palestine Mental Health Network
Cordaid
Muslim Association of Brantford
Palestinian Assoc. of Brantford
SOS Children's Villages UK
International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
Righting Relations Canada
Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz (ACPP)
CCFD-Terre Solidaire
Peace SOS 
ReThinking Foreign Policy
MPower Change Action Fund
Pax Christi USA
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
Peace Direct
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
Pax Christi International
Vision GRAM-International 
HelpAge International 
Clowns Without Borders Sweden
Quakers in Scotland (Religious Society of Friends)
US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO)
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP)
Ireland Palestine Mental Health Network
Peace Boat
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!
Movement for community-led Development
MADRE
Saferworld
European Alternatives
NO NAME KITCHEN
Christian Aid
Europe Cares e.V.
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Comisión de Justicia y Paz de Confregua
AFSC, American Friends Service Committee
Pax Christi England and Wales
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
CNCD-11.11.11
The National Organization of Yemeni Reporters SADA
EuroMed Rights Network
Danish Refugee Council
Plan International
Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS"/Palestine
Rethinking Security
Fund for Global Human Rights
Nonviolence International
Jewish Voice for Peace-Health Advisory Council
International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR)
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom-Minnesota, USA, Branch
Fellowship of Reconciliation - USA
Première Urgence Internationale
Anglican Pacifist Fellowship 
Association Switzerland-Palestine (Gesellschaft Schweiz-Palästina)
Forces Watch
Islamic Relief Worldwide
People's Health Movement (PHM)
INTERSOS
International Peace Bureau (IPB)
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
Global Witness
Migrant Roots Media
University Network for Human Rights
Pax Christi Scotland
UK Palestine Mental Health Network
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
WILPF US
Women for Women International
Progressive Democrats of Pennsylvania
Children Not Numbers
KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
FORO SALUD NACIONAL
Alternatives Internationales
DAWN
CIVICUS
FSMAGH (Forum des alternatives Maroc - FMAS)
Musulmanas de Guatemala por Palestina
Caritas Internationalis
Veterans for Peace, Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter (Baltimore, MD)
USA Palestine Mental Health Network
War Resisters League
SOL Education Center
Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
GOOD TO BE GOOD
Anera
Central Pacific Conference of the UCC Palestine/Israel Network
Alternative Jewish Voices/Sh'ma Koleinu
Embrace the Middle East
Welfare Association
Frieda - the Feminist Peace Organisation
Centre for Global Education
United Against Inhumanity
Peace & Justice - Scotland
Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e. V.
Save the Children

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