The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has slammed the international community over its “shameful” failure to stop Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group said the European Union (EU), International Criminal Court (ICC), and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as various United Nations bodies “have neglected their fundamental duty to safeguard civilian life and stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The statement noted that the failure of the international community to implement “decisive” actions against Israel’s atrocities “exposes a stark disregard for Palestinian lives and dignity, and fuels the continuation of its crime of genocide.”
The statement attributed the failure to “political calculations and the influence of powerful nations complicit in the genocide”, in an apparent reference to Israel’s closest ally, the US and other Western countries.
“Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza since 7 October 2023, with the US and Europe complicit by supplying weapons used to massacre Palestinian civilians and demolish their homes.”
The group noted that the international community and justice mechanisms “have largely turned a blind eye” to Israel’s atrocities.
“At most, some entities have issued weak statements that fail to acknowledge the crimes accurately, emboldening Israel to escalate its offenses with US and European support and armament.”
Referring to Israel’s full-scale invasion and crippling siege of northern Gaza that has been ongoing for nearly a month, the group said the International Committee of the Red Cross has “abdicated” its role in this attack.
“Israeli forces have blocked ambulance and rescue crews in northern Gaza for ten consecutive days, denying critical services to tens of thousands. Hospitals, including Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahia, have been targeted, with patients and wounded people killed, all without intervention from entities like the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has abdicated its role in this attack.”
According to Euro-Med Monitor investigations, Israel’s actions aim to “eradicate the Palestinian people through forced eviction and mass killing, not for military objectives.”
The group urged the ICC “to issue arrest warrants, prosecute those responsible, and fulfill its mandate to protect Palestinian civilians.”
It also called on the international community and the United Nations to take an immediate action “to prevent further loss of life in northern Gaza, end Israel’s ongoing genocide across the Strip.”
The statement also called for “a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel” and for holding it accountable over its crimes.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.
The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 43,314 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 100,000 others.
Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.