Association
The grave human rights violations committed by Israel were once again put in the spotlight by a joint statement issued by UN Experts. On 13th February 2024, the statement urged member States to respect and enable the rights of everyone to freedom of peaceful assembly, of association and of expression. The statement noted that "It is urgent that States respect and protect the rights of civil society, human rights defenders, the academic community, and growing movements and protests calling for a ceasefire, peace, justice and the release of hostages and detained Palestinian civilians. These rights are key for enabling civil society and peaceful protest movements to play their important role to ensure a just and sustainable peace and end atrocity crimes and grave human rights violations, which we are currently witnessing against the Palestinian population in Gaza".
Suspension of funding to UNRWA raises concern and thwarts crucial humanitarian efforts
Restrictions imposed on access to financial resources were also criticised by UN experts, calling on western countries and donors to immediately reverse their recent decision to suspend or restrict funding. The UN experts called for member States to reverse their funding suspension to the UN Agency for Palestine refugees in the near East (UNRWA), following serious allegations that 12 UNRWA personnel were involved in the 7th October attacks in southern Israel. Such broad measures, suspending or halting funding to entire organisations, are grossly disproportionate, appear politically motivated and contribute to collective punishment against Palestinian civilians already subjected to immense suffering, killing and starvation.
While recognising the gravity of these accusations and the necessity for comprehensive investigations, civil society has pointed out that slashing aid to the most essential humanitarian agency in the region during a large-scale military onslaught, which has decimated significant infrastructure and left Gaza’s civilian population on the brink of famine, is unjustifiable. Additionally, with the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent ruling ordering Israel to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, the suspension of funds by donor states stands in stark contrast to the ICJ’s stance on humanitarian aid.
Yet, while certain donor states have chosen a far-reaching approach, others have exercised caution before reaching damning conclusions. This underscores the existence of alternative paths for donors to navigate amidst the challenging humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Acknowledging the substantial humanitarian need, Ireland, Norway and Spain have pledged to sustain their support. Portugal and Spain declared additional aid. The Norwegian government released a statement differentiating between UNRWA and any staff members who might have engaged in wrongdoing.
Several aid agencies issued a joint statement urging donor states to reaffirm support for the vital work that UNRWA and its partners do and to reverse these funding suspensions, uphold their duties towards the Palestinian people and scale up humanitarian assistance for civilians in dire need in Gaza and the region.
Notably, the UNRWA has in the past faced serious opposition from the Israeli government which has long campaigned for its closure, and which has also blamed the agency for the recent ICJ ruling against Israel. Civil society has noted that:
“At this crucial time, the funding suspension constitutes collective punishment of the Palestinians… this measure is inseparable from the Israeli occupying state’s decades-long effort to abolish UNRWA, as the latter represents the essence of its occupation of Palestine and serves as a permanent reminder of it.”
Suspension of CSO funding casts shadow on vital human rights efforts
In a similar vein, after the 7th October 2023 attack, several European states including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, and the European Commission also suspended or reviewed funding to Palestinian and Israeli civil society organisations amidst unsubstantiated allegations of rerouting of funds to terrorist groups, and amidst vilification and labelling of civil society documentation of violations by Israel as anti-semitism. Civil society has warned that these unjustified measures implicitly support and perpetuate Israel's baseless accusations of Palestinian NGOs being linked to terrorism.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) halted funding worth millions of dollars to six Palestinian and five Israeli civil society organisations, while Sweden indicated that it will no longer provide future funding to actors who do not condemn Hamas, a directive which has raised concern over its infringement of the freedom of expression by equating a lack of condemnation with support, in what civil society has noted may be seen as tacitly requiring civil society organisations to adhere to the political positions of certain donor states.
While recognising the vital significance of accountability and transparency in development assistance, civil society groups have raised concerns about the timing and rationale behind these measures, which have escalated in the aftermath of the 7th October 2023 attack by the Hamas group, and which have been taken on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.
The cutting of funding to Palestinian human rights organisations exacerbates an already dire situation, adding unnecessary strain to their vital work in an already challenging context. As UN reports have demonstrated on several occasions, Palestinian CSOs have been working under “increasingly restricted civic space through a strategy of delegitimising and silencing civil society. This includes criminalising Palestinian civil society organisations and their members by labelling them as “terrorists”, pressuring and threatening institutions that give a platform for civil society discourse, actively lobbying donors, and implementing measures intended to cut sources of funding and support.”
It is vital to acknowledge the significant and crucial role played by civil society actors in Palestine and Israel in documenting human rights violations across both countries, and the important contribution they make to international human rights actors and mechanisms seeking to address violations in the region.
Blocking of aid frustrates operations of humanitarian organisations
Humanitarian organisations seeking to provide much needed assistance to the civilian population in Gaza also face significant challenges to their operations.
Between 1st January 2024 and 12th February 2024, humanitarian organisations scheduled 77 missions to provide aid and conduct assessments in areas north of Wadi Gaza. Among these, Israeli authorities facilitated 12, partially facilitated three, impeded 14, denied access to 39, while nine were postponed by the agencies. Most of the missions which were facilitated were those dealing with food distribution, while those seeking access to support critical hospitals and facilities offering water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services remained consistently denied.
On 16th February 2024, it was reported that Israel had halted a delivery of United Nations food assistance destined to sustain over a million Gazans for a month. Three days earlier, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he had instructed the interception of 1,049 containers designated for distribution by the UN.
Israeli citizens also gathered to block aid trucks from reaching Gaza. On 6th February 2024, they gathered to stop at least 130 humanitarian aid trucks from entering Gaza. This was one of several gatherings being held by Israeli citizens at the Karem Abu Salem crossing to block the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestine. The Israelis lay in the streets and set up tents to prevent trucks from proceeding into Gaza. Located at the border with Egypt, the Karem Abu Salem crossing is a significant entry point for humanitarian aid to Gaza, as it serves as the inspection point for aid trucks heading into Gaza.
The restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza bear grave ramifications for millions of Palestinians. As Israel resorts to starvation as a tactic of war, the population is starving to death with no less than 75% of Gaza’s population, consisting of around 1.7 million people, being displaced from their homes as of February 2024.
Humanitarian workers - the brave HRDs risking it all at the front line
“Still, aid workers, under enormous pressure and with no safety guarantees, are doing their best to deliver inside Gaza”. – UN Secretary General
On 15th January 2024, the UN Secretary General, in his remarks at a press stakeout, announced that at least 152 UN staff members had been killed in Gaza since 7th October 2023, the highest number of UN aid workers to have been killed in any single conflict in the organisation’s history. By 15th February 2024, the number of UN staff members killed had risen to 158. Other humanitarian aid organisations including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have severally reported the killing of their members and staff in the course of the ongoing military bombardment.
On 12th February 2024, Médecins du Monde (MdM) condemned the destruction of its offices in Gaza city a few days previously, which they describe as deliberate. No staff members were inside when the building was demolished. MdM did not receive any warning about the attack, even though its offices were clearly identified as those of a humanitarian agency, and the address of the building had been shared with the Israeli authorities responsible for coordination with NGOs. The office’s destruction came after soldiers entered the premises, forced out the family of an MdM member who were seeking refuge inside, and later destroyed it. "We are once again outraged by what appears to be a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The destruction of our offices is further proof that absolutely no place is safe in Gaza. NGO buildings are being demolished, while humanitarian aid is being demolished.”
On 19th January 2024, an Israeli airstrike came alarmingly close to killing EuroMed Rights’ member Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) and an emergency medical team from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Gaza. The strike caused significant damage to the building and injured several staff members from both organisations, requiring the withdrawal of six members of the medical team from Gaza.
CSO buildings and infrastructure face attacks and destruction
As the military onslaught continues, the offices of CSOs face indiscriminate and sometimes deliberate destruction.
On 12 February 2024, Médecins du Monde (MdM) condemned the destruction of its offices in Gaza city a few days previously, which they describe as deliberate. No staff members were inside when the building was demolished. MdM did not receive any warning about the attack, even though its offices were clearly identified as those of a humanitarian agency, and the address of the building had been shared with the Israeli authorities responsible for coordination with NGOs, as per procedure. The office’s destruction came after soldiers entered the premises, forced out the family of an MdM member who were seeking refuge inside, and later destroyed it.
Besides deliberate attacks, the indiscriminate destruction of infrastructure by the military bombardment has also significantly affected CSO operations in Gaza. On 19th January 2024, an Israeli air strike caused significant damage to the building hosting EuroMed Rights’ member, the Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Gaza. The strike came alarmingly close to killing a member of MAP and an emergency medical team from the IRC. The strike injured several staff members from both organisations, requiring the withdrawal of six members of the medical team from Gaza.
Similarly, as of 15 January 2024, there had been a minimum of 232 incidents affecting UNRWA facilities and individuals within them since 7 October 2023. A total of 66 UNRWA sites had been directly struck, with 69 different installations sustaining damage from strikes on nearby objects. The number of incidents affecting UNRWA facilities had risen to 321 by 15 February 2024.
Expression
The violations against freedom of expression of Palestinians were documented at several fronts including against journalists as well as systematically over online platforms.
7amleh – the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, has released a new comprehensive report, “Racism and Incitement Index 2023”, that sheds light on the proliferation of hate speech and incitement to violence directed at Palestinian people and advocates for Palestinian rights on online platforms. An average of 23 violent or hateful pieces of content were published against Palestinians every minute after 7th October, reports 7amleh.
On the occasion of International Women's Day the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” ıssued a statement documenting violations and expressing deep concern over the difficult and harsh conditions that Palestinian women are going through, including the high rate of violations against Palestinian female journalists. On this occasion, MADA recalled the 17 Palestinian journalists who were killed at the hands of the occupation forces and authorities from 2000 until today, 14 of whom were martyred during the current war on the Gaza Strip, which is still continuing today.
Systematic violations against media freedoms continue, including:
As documented by MADA in January, the Israeli occupation committed a total of 80 violations against media freedoms and media crews in Palestine, representing 100% of the violations, distributed among 61 attacks committed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and 19 crimes carried out in the Gaza Strip. In February 2024 47 violations against media freedoms in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem were documented, all committed by the occupation forces.
By 13 February 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented that at least 85 journalists and media workers had been killed since 7 October 2023. 16 journalists were reported injured, 4 journalists were reported missing and 25 journalists had been arrested. According to CPJ, several journalists have also reported being assaulted using tear gas, live and rubber bullets, targeted with arbitrary searches and confiscation of their equipment while doing their work.
Internet shutdowns continue to be used as a weapon of war. As documented by Access now, on 12th January 2024, at 14:23 UTC (16:23 local time), Paltel, a Palestinian internet service provider (ISP), announced the complete loss of all telecommunications services in the Gaza Strip “due to the ongoing aggression.” As Access NOW MENA Campaigner indicates on-and-off disruptions and internet shutdowns...[and].. with the people of Gaza continually in the dark, documenting and sharing information about what is happening on the ground is increasingly challenging, if not outright impossible.
According to Euro-Med Monitor, Israel has shut off the Internet and communications from the Gaza Strip at least ten times between 7th October 2023 and February 2024, with the majority of these incidents happening concurrently with or before a planned escalation in military attacks. The infrastructure supporting these networks has been left destroyed.
Euro-Med Monitor has also documented that Israel has been particularly targeting civilians trying to pick up communications and internet signals in besieged areas where serious human rights violations are occurring. This hinders press coverage of the violations and makes it difficult for residents to report them. On 22nd January 2024, a group of journalists was targeted by Israeli aircraft while attempting to obtain internet services in the Tal Al-Zaatar area of Jabalia. A young man, Muhammad Al-Ghoula, was killed, and the journalist Imad Ghabboun was injured during the attack.
On 16th February 2024, UNOCHA noted that the recurring telecommunications blackouts in the Gaza Strip continue to limit people's access to life saving information, and hinder various humanitarian efforts.