The forced reoccupation of Gaza City leaves people with an impossible choice: this is a genocide; there is nowhere left to flee
Tuesday 16 September – ActionAid responds to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry which has today declared that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its illegal and deadly reoccupation of Gaza City, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee and leaving people with an impossible choice: how can you flee a genocide?
Jamil Sawalmeh, Country Director of ActionAid Palestine, says; “Today, the United Nations concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. This is what we have been warning about all along. The report makes clear that four out of five conditions of genocide are met. The world must stop the impunity of Israel.
“We now need urgent action from international governments. All arms exports to Israel must be banned, sanctions imposed, and Israeli must be held accountable for violations of international humanitarian law. This is not the time for words. We need action.”
Alaa AbuSamra, Emergency Response Programme Manager for ActionAid Palestine, based in Gaza, says: “People who have moved from Gaza City to the south of the Strip cannot find safe or empty places to stay. Even when they are lucky enough to find a spot, there are no tents or suitable shelters available, leaving many families with no choice but to sleep in the streets.
“We are now approaching nearly two years of continuous forced displacement, and most families have no money left. They are exhausted, worn down, and unable to afford even their most basic needs. Many are struggling without food supplies or clean drinking water. Parents feel powerless to provide safety and dignity for their children. The situation is becoming more desperate every single day.”
Amjad Shawa, Director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, says: “Gaza City is now under intensive airstrikes targeting homes, buildings, and shelters. Thousands of families have lost everything, starved, suffocated, with nowhere safe to go. There are no humanitarian zones, no safe spaces.
“We are deeply concerned for hundreds of thousands of people, most of them children, women, the elderly, and those with disabilities, who cannot flee. There are no tents, no basic services in the south. Gaza has never witnessed devastation like this, not only during this war but in its entire history.
“Every day, we are losing tens of lives while the health system collapses. There is no space for the injured or even for patients. There is a severe shortage of food, water, and medicine in this critical moment. We urge the international community: open your eyes. Act now to protect civilians. Pressure must be applied immediately to stop this military offensive.”