The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) unequivocally condemns the latest escalation of genocidal violence by the Israeli state against Palestinians in Gaza.
Just hours after issuing an order forcibly displacing all residents of Rafah, Israel’s Occupation Forces have launched an unrelenting assault on the city, leaving fleeing Palestinian families with no safe place to seek refuge.
Israeli forces are actively firing on those trying to escape using quadcopters. At least two people have been killed.
These latest attacks on Rafah have now displaced more than 140,000 people, and come as Israeli officials declare their intention to intensify their attacks in Gaza, force more Palestinians from their homes, shelters, and land, and expand their illegal occupation, including by enlarging the so-called Philadelphi Corridor “buffer zone” into the centre of Rafah.
This follows Israel’s cold-blooded execution of 15 emergency responders, including Palestine Red Crescent Society medics and one UN employee, in the Tal as-Sultan area.
According to UN reports, these medics and first responders were on a mission to rescue colleagues who had been shot at by Israeli forces.
Reports indicate that the first responders were targeted by Israeli forces deliberately, with some shot in the head and chest while handcuffed, and the bodies buried – their uniforms and gloves intact – in a mass grave. The clearly marked ambulances the medics had arrived in, buried in the sand by an Israeli bulldozer.
This heinous war crime highlights Israel’s reckless disregard for human life and the Geneva Conventions, which mandate the protection of medical and humanitarian personnel.
Israel is flagrantly violating its international legal obligations, perpetrating the gravest breaches of international law while the international community – including the Australian government – watches on in silence.
Australia has an obligation to comply with international law and to act decisively to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The Australian government must end its support for the Israeli government, expel the Israeli ambassador, impose sanctions on those Israeli officials and entities responsible for war crimes, and implement an immediate two-way arms embargo.
We demand the Australian government immediately act to fulfill its legal and moral obligations by taking a stand against Israel, and ensuring this rogue state is held accountable for the crimes it is committing against Palestinians.