The Israeli government’s blocking of basic humanitarian needs in Gaza, which has been suffering from genocide for almost two years, is causing more and more people to lose their lives with every day. The Security Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has approved a plan to invade Gaza, which will lead to the displacement of more than 1 million Palestinians in the coming days.
According to reports, the number of people who have lost their lives in the genocide that has been ongoing in Gaza since October 2023 has exceeded 60,000. In addition, more than 150,000 people have been injured in Gaza. As in any violent environment, children and women are among those most affected by the genocide in Gaza.
Due to the absolute blockade imposed by the Israeli government on Gaza, vital humanitarian aid supplies such as water, milk, baby formula, medicine and medical supplies are not reaching Palestinians. Since the full blockade of Gaza resumed in March, the proportion of pregnant and breastfeeding women who are malnourished and undernourished has tripled. Furthermore, at least 181 people, including 94 children and infants, have been confirmed to have died of starvation in Gaza to date.
Israeli officials are not only using weapons and bombs in their genocide in Gaza. Furthermore, they have turned basic needs such as water, food, and medical supplies into weapons of a sort.
Gaza, where access to food and clean water is blocked, is facing a famine in the 21st century. Gaza, where daily life is impossible to sustain, is on the brink of irreversible collapse. The situation faced by Palestinians is related to the failure to meet basic needs such as nutrition, health and shelter.
Our demand as Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK) is clear:
- The Israeli government must immediately allow the entry of humanitarian aid to meet the basic needs of Palestinians.
- The genocide taking place in Gaza must be stopped
- Those responsible for the crimes committed to date must be held accountable.
The Israeli government is responsible for this genocide, but so is the international community, which remains silent in full view of everyone. As Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), of which we are an affiliate, stated in his open letter, failing to take action or react in the face of what is happening is not neutrality or diplomacy, but complicity.
As KESK, we once again condemn the genocide taking place in Gaza and call on everyone to take action before it is too late. We will not remain silent in the face of Palestinians being killed every day by bombs, weapons, and the denial of their basic needs; we will not be complicit in this crime.
KESK Executive Committee