Indonesian NGOs demand Israel be held accountable over atrocities in Gaza
JAKARTA: Indonesian civil society organizations are urging the international community to hold Israel accountable for its attacks on Gaza, as Tel Aviv's latest military onslaught on the besieged enclave pushed the territory's healthcare system to the brink of collapse.
All hospitals in northern Gaza were out of service as of Friday, according to Jakarta-based NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, which funds the Indonesia Hospital located in the Gazan city of Beit Lahiya.
Al-Awda Hospital — the only remaining facility providing health services in north Gaza — evacuated its patients on Thursday following orders from the Israeli military, which launched a wave of new attacks earlier this month across the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people and forcing most public facilities in the area to close.
'Even after various condemnations and warnings, Israel the colonizer continues to commit crimes across the Gaza Strip,' said Dr. Hadiki Habib, chairman of MER-C's executive committee.
'MER-C's stance is in line with the Indonesian constitution, in which we do not recognize colonization in any shape or form … Israel's colonization and crimes against humanity (in Gaza) must be held accountable at the international level.'
Indonesia is a staunch supporter of Palestine, and sees Palestinian statehood as being mandated by its own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.
The Indonesia Hospital was one of the first targets hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza, in which it regularly targets medical facilities.
Attacks on health centers, medical personnel and patients constitute war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Israel's latest offensive comes after a two-month blockade on the enclave after Tel Aviv unilaterally broke a ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas in March.
It is a continuation of Israel's onslaught of Gaza that began in October 2023 and has killed more than 54,300 Palestinians and wounded more than 124,000. The deadly attacks have also put 2 million more at risk of starvation after Israeli forces destroyed most of the region's infrastructure and buildings and blocked humanitarian aid.
Aid only recently began to enter the besieged territory, although only in limited quantities.
'The suffering of the people is massive due to starvation, and there is limited aid because of the blockade,' Habib said. 'A humanitarian crisis must not be used as a transactional tool. Stop this war and open the food blockade in Gaza. We will continue to voice this demand.'
Various scholars and human rights organizations have said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, including Amnesty International and the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention.
'Zionist Israel's crimes in Gaza must be held accountable. They must be put on trial and punished for genocide. There is no longer doubt that their crimes constitute genocide,' Muhammad Anshorullah, who heads the executive committee of the Jakarta-based Aqsa Working Group, told Arab News on Saturday. 'Netanyahu's regime must be arrested, tried and punished, just like how the Allied powers arrested, tried and punished Nazi elites through the Nuremberg Trials. There is nothing more urgent globally aside from stopping the genocide in Gaza.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leaders
30 minutes ago
- Leaders
Iraqi Cities Protest against Israel's War on Iran
Baghdad and other Iraqi cities witnessed wide protests on Friday from Moqtada Sadr's supporters against Israel's war against Iran, according to Arab News. Iraqi Protests Iraqi demonstrators gathered in the Sadr City district of Baghdad after Friday prayers and chanted 'No to Israel! No to America!' 'It is an unjust war… Israel has no right' to hit Iran, said protester Abu Hussein. Iraqi Cities Protest against Israel's War on Iran Meanwhile, approximately 2,000 people rallied in Iraq's southern city of Basra after the prayers. Cleric Qusai Assadi, 43, condemned Israel's use of Iraqi airspace to bomb Iran. 'It is a violation of Iraq's sovereignty,' he said, warning against 'a third world war against Islam.' Call for Not Targeting US Troops Baghdad asked Iran earlier this week to avoid targeting US interests in Iraq amid mounting tensions between Israel and Tehran, according to Al-Arabiya. Despite the fact that Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran, Iraq is also a strategic partner of the US and even has approximately 2,500 US troops on its soil as part of an anti-extremist coalition. Israel-Iran Conflict On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. US Denies Involvement US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was not involved in Israel's unilateral strikes on Iran, according to The New York Times. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,' Rubio said. He also warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by targeting American bases in the region. Importantly, the US military maintains a large fleet of warplanes, naval vessels as well as thousands of troops stationed at its bases in the region, including in Qatar and Bahrain. 'Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,' Rubio added. Related Topics: US Military Aircrafts Vanish from Qatar Base Amid Iran Tensions China Condemns Israel's 'War of Aggression' against Iran 'Nobody Knows': Trump on US Striking Iran Short link : Post Views: 8
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel tells UN Security Council ‘we will not stop' Iran attacks
Iran said it would continue to defend itself against Israel during a UN Security Council session on Friday, while Israel's UN ambassador vowed that his country would not stop its attacks until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled. 'We will not stop,' Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said. 'Not until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled, not until its war machine is disarmed, not until our people and yours are safe.' Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the Security Council to take action. 'Israel apparently declared that it will continue this strike for as many days as it takes. We are alarmed by credible report that the United States... may be joining this war,' he said.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
IAEA chief warns strike on Iran's Bushehr plant would create nuclear disaster
The head of the UN atomic watchdog warned Friday that an Israeli strike on Iran's southern nuclear plant of Bushehr could trigger a regional disaster, adding that radiation had not yet been detected in the conflict.
