Lynn Hastings Photo by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Today could have been a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, born from the atrocities of two world wars. Instead, human rights are assaulted in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The violations perpetrated on both populations will bring neither peace nor security to either of these nations.

In Israel, the killings, sexual violence and kidnappings by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October traumatized an entire nation. Elderly, disabled, and children have not been spared. Non-state armed actors have obligations under international law, too. Perpetrators must be held accountable. All hostages should be released unconditionally but in the interim, access should be granted so their conditions can be verified.

In Gaza, the response from Israel has been disproportionate. The air strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and UN facilities and the repeated displacement of the civilian population cannot be justified. Nor can the siege, depriving the entire Gaza population of food, water, health care and hygiene. We are now seeing reports of men and boys, from the age of 15 and older, rounded up in Gaza, stripped to their undergarments, blindfold, and taken somewhere unknown. Access to all detainees and prisoners should be granted to verify their conditions.

This crisis is not about the number of trucks going into Gaza. Israel has the obligation as the occupying power to ensure that sufficient hygiene and public health standards as well as the provision of food and medical care are available to the population under occupation. Israel must allow the humanitarian community to deliver aid safely inside and throughout Gaza.

This crisis is also not about safe zones. A unilateral declaration by an occupying power that patches of land where there is no infrastructure, food, water, health care, or hygiene are “safe zones” does not mean they are safe. This is especially true when there is no guarantee of freedom of movement nor for the humanitarian community to deliver wherever there is need.

A ceasefire – the terms of which must be consulted with humanitarians and human rights defenders – is needed.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, unprecedented levels of Israeli state and settler violence against Palestinians, their displacement, movement restrictions, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment, have been reported in 2023 and compound the already discriminatory and coercive environment. 265 of the 464 Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2023 were killed since 7 October; at least three killed were disabled. And at least 1,000 people have been forcibly displaced from their land citing settler violence and the inability to access their land.

Civil society organizations in Palestine and Israel who fight daily to protect human rights are needed now more than ever. Instead, they are under attack. They must be protected by all of us.

In 2023, I should not have to issue such a statement. It is as if we have learned nothing in the past 75 years.

https://una.org.uk/get-involved/learn-and-teach/international-days/introduction/supporting-curriculum 

https://una.org.uk/key-stage-2-england 

https://una.org.uk/get-involved/learn-and-teach/international-days/supporting-curriculum/england-curriculum-links 

https://una.org.uk/get-involved/learn-and-teach 

Today, we mark World Humanitarian Day, reaffirming our commitment to the protection, well-being, and dignity of all those affected by crises. The day also pays tribute to humanitarian workers, who deliver assistance in times of conflict or natural disasters.

About 2.1 million people across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) need humanitarian assistance, the same number as last year but with unprecedented and growing vulnerabilities in the West Bank. Thousands are involved in the effort to try and help them; NGOs might be the most obvious, but they work in partnership with volunteers, municipal workers who repair pipelines in the middle of floods or conflict, doctors, and nurses – to name only a few who act as “first responders.”

In the OPT, #NoMatterWhat means that amid Israel’s occupation, movement restrictions, political divisions, recurrent conflict, and even efforts to denigrate their work, humanitarians are working to assist 1.6 million of the most vulnerable Palestinians. Their commitment to helping others in times of crisis is unwavering. As they provide trauma care, deliver food, ensure access to clean water, shelter, education, health, nutrition, and protection, they often put their own lives at risk.

During operations and escalations, colleagues work to ensure consistent provision of safe drinking water, while others extinguish fires or clear debris, paving the way for rescue units to enter buildings on the verge of collapse. Medical teams venture into dangerous areas amid gunfire and bombing to treat the injured; in the first seven months of 2023, 77 health care workers were injured, and 30 ambulances damaged.

Experts diligently remove unexploded ordinance to avoid further loss of life.

In high-risk areas of the West Bank, partners accompany farmers and herders, providing safety, thereby allowing them to sustain their livelihoods and food security.

In inclement weather, especially during heavy rains, dedicated teams maintain drainage and electricity systems while most people seek shelter indoors.

Despite these obstacles, they and we are committed, no matter what, to helping people in need. Today and every day, let’s remember not to take these heroes for granted.