As the Middle East faces escalating regional conflict on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) urgently calls on all parties to adhere to international law and protect civilians from harm.
The attack by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups on Israel killed 1,139 people in Israel, including 29 children and 282 women; Hamas also took 251 hostages, of whom 97 remain reportedly unaccounted for, and 33 are believed to be dead.
Since then, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 41,000 Palestinians, including at least 16,795 children and 11,378 women, and has been accompanied by hundreds of attacks on health care and blockages of other necessities, including water, food, and medicine. This humanitarian crisis has led to the International Court of Justice to issue binding provisional orders for Israel to avoid any acts that may contribute to genocide and for Hamas to release all hostages.
“Over the past year, we have seen shocking harm to civilians and systematic violations of international law during the war in Gaza; the intensification of violence by Israeli settlers and security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank; missile and drone attacks on Israel from Houthi-controlled Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran; and the recent Israeli invasion and bombardment of Lebanon,” said Sam Zarifi, JD, PHR’s executive director.
“These conflicts have been marked by severe human rights violations, including the targeting of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence, and torture and degrading treatment of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. Attacks on hospitals and health care workers, which have decimated the health infrastructure in Gaza, and limited access to urgently needed medical supplies have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, with severe long-term harm to the people in Gaza,” said Zarifi.
“This systematic disregard for international law by all the warring parties in the Middle East, as well as their international supporters, and the obstruction of independent, impartial, and effective investigations into these reported violations, have significant implications for justice and accountability and the credibility of international law not just in the region but also around the world,” said Zarifi. “Establishing the truth and providing justice and accountability for violations are fundamental for rebuilding trust and promoting lasting peace in the region.”
“All the people in the Middle East have an equal right to life and to health, and the paramount concern must be protecting these lives and these rights even amid an armed conflict,” said Zarifi. “Atrocities by one party do not justify atrocities by other parties.”
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.