Extreme Measures are Called For
Posted: 15th July 2024
World BEYOND War, and a growing coalition of peace groups welcomes you to join a fast and days of action in New York City from August 10 – 15, 2024, as an assembly of peace activists delivers to various Missions to the United Nations an online email letter signed by thousands of people from around the world. We will gather each weekday across from the United Nations at the Isaiah Wall, (First Avenue and 41st St.) at 10:00 a.m. Please help spread the word about the action.
The world has watched in horror as Israel has unleashed its ferocious and unlawful assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza, with a declared intent, from the very beginning, to stop food, electricity, water, and other basic goods from entering this occupied territory.
On July 9, 2024, UN Experts declared that the recent deaths of more Palestinian children due to hunger and malnutrition leaves no doubt that famine has spread across the entire Gaza strip.
In the past seven months the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has been systematically dismantled. According to OCHA, 24 hospitals in Gaza, Palestine are now out of service, while 493 health workers have been killed.
There is no telling what the indirect human cost in deaths and long-term injuries will be as a result of aid and treatment having been denied.
According to the United Nations, a staggering 1.7 million people, constituting approximately 75% of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, are internally displaced. This displacement has given rise to formidable challenges affecting the population and straining the humanitarian response, particularly in the areas of shelter, food, sanitation, and health.
The current climatic conditions in Gaza further exacerbate the hardships faced by displaced individuals trying to survive in tents.
Mindful of the suffering that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank endure, we urge the members states of the United Nations to uphold the rule of law where the United Nations Security Council has failed. Member states of the General Assembly can and should enact the “Uniting for Peace” resolution 377 to end Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
If you are interested in joining us in fasting or demonstrating at the UN in New York, please let us know here.
—Kathy Kelly, President of World BEYOND War