According to the UN, about half the strip's 1.5 million people no longer have access to fresh water, because Israel has been restricting fuel supplies, which in turn halts pumps and reduces electricity production. This has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Strip and denies the population their most fundamental human right – the right to life.Also on Friday, Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed a woman at a wedding celebration and injured 46 others. In the last 4 days, Israeli air strikes and ground incursions have killed 37 Palestinians and injured more than 120.
These events in the Gaza Strip cannot be isolated from Bush’s visit last week to Israel , during which he obviously gave the green light to Israel to continue the wanton killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This escalation against the Gaza Strip takes place during a week in which Israel claims to be beginning negotiations about the core issues of the conflict with the Palestinian Authority.
We call on civil society and governments to act with unity and immediately intervene to halt the killing and end the siege on Gaza. Pressure must be applied on Israel to fulfill the commitments to International humanitarian law and human rights.
Palestine Solidarity Committee of South Africa
One Democratic State Group-Gaza
For comments please call:
Gaza: + 972 599 441766, +972599410741, + 972 599 322636
Johannesburg; mlNatasha Vally 082 6600 723, Na’eem Jeenah 084 574 2674, Melissa Hoole 073 906 0017
