Mr. Emmanuel Macron, act now for an immediate and lasting ceasefire

Mr. Emmanuel Macron,

We, humanitarian, development and human rights organizations operating in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, make a clear appeal to the international community: an immediate and lasting ceasefire. This is the only option to save lives, guarantee the delivery of aid and ensure respect for international humanitarian law. Gaza today is an open-air cemetery, and France, as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, has a legal responsibility to oblige the parties to the conflict to protect civilian populations.

In Gaza, survival has become impossible. The healthcare system has collapsed: in overcrowded health centers and hospitals, exhausted medical staff step over patients lying on the ground and perform surgery without anesthesia. Caregivers and the people they care for are threatened by direct attacks. More than half of all hospitals are no longer functional; those still able to operate partially face severe shortages of fuel, medicines and medical equipment.

Eating once a day and drinking brackish water has become the daily routine for the population: 1.9 million civilians are displaced and forced to flee the bombardments, sometimes several times over. Displaced people sleep in cars, on the streets or in overcrowded shelters. Soon, epidemics and famine will claim more victims than the bombings.

The most vulnerable – children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the disabled, the elderly and the chronically ill – see their chances of survival rapidly diminish in the face of the impossibility of fleeing hostilities and the lack of essential resources.

An unprecedented catastrophe

We warned that the total siege imposed by the Israeli government since October 9, in addition to the sixteen-year blockade and the restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, would have deadly consequences. But the physical and psychological impact on children and the most vulnerable is worse than we could have imagined: it is unprecedented. An entirely man-made catastrophe is unfolding before the eyes of the entire world. The consequences of this catastrophe are devastating and long-lasting, and must be stopped now.

International humanitarian law states one simple thing: even wars have rules. Military operations flout these rules, as civilians continue to be targeted, even in areas initially designated as “safe”. How many more civilians will have to die for the international community to act and establish a ceasefire?

We do not accept that these deaths and massive destruction of residential areas, refugee camps, hospitals, schools and places of worship should be considered as mere collateral damage. Some of these acts could constitute serious international crimes which States have a legal and moral responsibility to prevent and stop.

2.2 million civilians need an immediate and lasting ceasefire to survive. The war has forced 1.9 million people to move, repeatedly, from north to south, and even further to the coast, without ever giving them a break. Israeli military operations are causing massive population displacement. Thousands of people are now crammed into unsanitary areas, with no guarantee of safety.

We maintain that no place in Gaza is safe: the so-called “safety zones” are under constant attack and cannot shelter all the displaced people. The seven-day pause decreed at the end of November was a respite for the population. But it was not enough to enable us to meet the colossal needs of civilians. The pause also underlined the need to halt hostilities to allow the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages.

We cannot deliver aid under bombardment. Since the murderous attacks of October 7 and the start of the Israeli offensive, an impressive deluge of bombs has fallen on the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with catastrophic consequences for the most vulnerable and fragile, including children.

It is illusory to think that any humanitarian response can be provided when bombardments are incessant, distributions cannot take place, a minimal amount of aid is only allowed in through a single crossing point, and humanitarian personnel have no access to populations in need. In addition, the total Israeli siege prevents basic supplies of water, food, fuel and electricity.

We demand that all crossings, including Kerem-Shalom and Erez, be opened to the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial goods.

For a total cessation of hostilities

Without a real, strong and decisive intervention to force the parties to the conflict to a total cessation of hostilities, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip will continue to worsen dramatically. Calling for intermediate steps towards a ceasefire postponed into the future is not acceptable. The civilians of Gaza do not have the luxury of this time. France must learn the lessons of the seven-day pause that took place at the end of November: this truce was by no means sufficient to provide a humanitarian response commensurate with the needs of Gaza’s civilians.

Mr. President, act now for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. In line with the international humanitarian conference for the civilian population of Gaza organized on November 9 in Paris, we call on you to assume your responsibility to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and protect civilian lives by exerting all France’s diplomatic pressure on the parties to the conflict, the international community and the States with the power to impose a ceasefire.

To respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, we need a ceasefire.

To provide humanitarian aid, we need a ceasefire.

To save lives, we need a ceasefire.

Signatories

Acat-France Yves Rolland, President
Action contre la Faim Olivier Longué, Executive Director
Amnesty International France Jean-Claude Samouiller, President
CCFD-Terre Solidaire Sylvie Bukhari-de-Pontual, President
Coordination Sud Olivier Bruyeron, President
International Federation for Human Rights Eléonore Morel, Executive Director
Handicap International Manuel Patrouillard, Executive Director
Médecins du monde Joël Weiler, Executive Director
Oxfam France Cécile Duflot, Executive Director
PalMed France Dr Nizar Badran, Vice-President
Plateforme des ONG Françaises pour la Palestine François Leroux, President
Première urgence internationale Thierry Mauricet, Executive Director
Save the children Willy Bergogné, Director Save the children Europe
Secours islamique France Rachid Lahlou, Founding President
UOSSM International Raphaël Pitti, Humanitarian Advisor and Anas Chaker, Secretary General.