SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Palestinians mourn as they sit on the rubble of a building in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on November 6, 2023.
(Photo: Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images)
'This Must Stop Now': Aid Leaders Issue Joint Call for Cease-Fire as Gaza Death Toll Tops 10,000
"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship. This is unacceptable."
Nov 06, 2023
The United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, the president of Save the Children, the head of the World Health Organization, and other global aid leaders issued a joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen.
The statement points with alarm to the Israeli military's "horrific killings" of Gaza civilians, attacks on healthcare facilities and homes, and the siege that has cut off Gazans' access to water, electricity, food, and fuel. Roughly 70% of Gaza's population has been internally displaced since the Israeli bombing began on October 7.
"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship. This is unacceptable," the aid officials said. "We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now."
Hours after the statement's release, the Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll in the occupied territory has surpassed 10,000 after just a month of Israeli bombing. Children make up roughly 40% of the death toll.
The statement from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee is part of a growing international push for a cease-fire that has been joined by major human rights organizations, the head of the U.N., Arab leaders, Jewish peace advocates, and a growing number of U.S. lawmakers. Two-thirds of U.S. voters support a cease-fire, according to recent polling.
Late last week, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) became the latest member of Congress to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.
"The people of Gaza desperately need water, food, medicine, and fuel NOW," said Waters. "There must be negotiations for the release of all hostages, NOW. Hamas must cease all attacks on Israel, and Israel must cease all attacks on Gaza. The killing of civilians must stop, and the U.S. must provide leadership in seeking and working for peaceful solutions to this devastating time in the history of our world."
Despite growing domestic pressure, the Biden administration has thus far dismissed calls for a cease-fire, opting instead to urge Israel to allow "humanitarian pauses" aimed at letting aid freely flow into Gaza.
After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahupledged to continue attacking Gaza "with full force" and said his country won't consider a cease-fire until all hostages are released.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Israeli forces have "severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with intense airstrikes overnight... setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war."
"Israeli bombardments have continued across the territory, and strikes in central and southern Gaza—the purported safe zone—killed dozens of people on Sunday," AP added.
Israeli settler violence is also mounting in the illegally occupied West Bank. A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement last week that "in repeated incidents, armed settlers have given Palestinian communities ultimatums to leave their homes or be killed."
"In one chilling example of the intimidation communities are facing, pamphlets were reportedly left by settlers on Palestinian vehicles with threatening messages telling them to leave now or face 'elimination,'" the official said.
In their joint statement on Sunday, the global aid leaders reiterated their "plea for the parties to respect all their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law."
"We renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on—including hospitals, shelters, and schools—must be protected," they added. "More aid—food, water, medicine, and of course fuel—must enter Gaza safely, swiftly, and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
world health organizationchildrenmartin griffithsgaza health ministryunited nationsgazaisraelsave the childrencease-fire
The United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, the president of Save the Children, the head of the World Health Organization, and other global aid leaders issued a joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen.
The statement points with alarm to the Israeli military's "horrific killings" of Gaza civilians, attacks on healthcare facilities and homes, and the siege that has cut off Gazans' access to water, electricity, food, and fuel. Roughly 70% of Gaza's population has been internally displaced since the Israeli bombing began on October 7.
"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship. This is unacceptable," the aid officials said. "We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now."
Hours after the statement's release, the Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll in the occupied territory has surpassed 10,000 after just a month of Israeli bombing. Children make up roughly 40% of the death toll.
The statement from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee is part of a growing international push for a cease-fire that has been joined by major human rights organizations, the head of the U.N., Arab leaders, Jewish peace advocates, and a growing number of U.S. lawmakers. Two-thirds of U.S. voters support a cease-fire, according to recent polling.
Late last week, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) became the latest member of Congress to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.
"The people of Gaza desperately need water, food, medicine, and fuel NOW," said Waters. "There must be negotiations for the release of all hostages, NOW. Hamas must cease all attacks on Israel, and Israel must cease all attacks on Gaza. The killing of civilians must stop, and the U.S. must provide leadership in seeking and working for peaceful solutions to this devastating time in the history of our world."
Despite growing domestic pressure, the Biden administration has thus far dismissed calls for a cease-fire, opting instead to urge Israel to allow "humanitarian pauses" aimed at letting aid freely flow into Gaza.
After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahupledged to continue attacking Gaza "with full force" and said his country won't consider a cease-fire until all hostages are released.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Israeli forces have "severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with intense airstrikes overnight... setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war."
"Israeli bombardments have continued across the territory, and strikes in central and southern Gaza—the purported safe zone—killed dozens of people on Sunday," AP added.
Israeli settler violence is also mounting in the illegally occupied West Bank. A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement last week that "in repeated incidents, armed settlers have given Palestinian communities ultimatums to leave their homes or be killed."
"In one chilling example of the intimidation communities are facing, pamphlets were reportedly left by settlers on Palestinian vehicles with threatening messages telling them to leave now or face 'elimination,'" the official said.
In their joint statement on Sunday, the global aid leaders reiterated their "plea for the parties to respect all their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law."
"We renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on—including hospitals, shelters, and schools—must be protected," they added. "More aid—food, water, medicine, and of course fuel—must enter Gaza safely, swiftly, and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are."
The United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, the president of Save the Children, the head of the World Health Organization, and other global aid leaders issued a joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen.
The statement points with alarm to the Israeli military's "horrific killings" of Gaza civilians, attacks on healthcare facilities and homes, and the siege that has cut off Gazans' access to water, electricity, food, and fuel. Roughly 70% of Gaza's population has been internally displaced since the Israeli bombing began on October 7.
"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship. This is unacceptable," the aid officials said. "We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now."
Hours after the statement's release, the Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll in the occupied territory has surpassed 10,000 after just a month of Israeli bombing. Children make up roughly 40% of the death toll.
The statement from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee is part of a growing international push for a cease-fire that has been joined by major human rights organizations, the head of the U.N., Arab leaders, Jewish peace advocates, and a growing number of U.S. lawmakers. Two-thirds of U.S. voters support a cease-fire, according to recent polling.
Late last week, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) became the latest member of Congress to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.
"The people of Gaza desperately need water, food, medicine, and fuel NOW," said Waters. "There must be negotiations for the release of all hostages, NOW. Hamas must cease all attacks on Israel, and Israel must cease all attacks on Gaza. The killing of civilians must stop, and the U.S. must provide leadership in seeking and working for peaceful solutions to this devastating time in the history of our world."
Despite growing domestic pressure, the Biden administration has thus far dismissed calls for a cease-fire, opting instead to urge Israel to allow "humanitarian pauses" aimed at letting aid freely flow into Gaza.
After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahupledged to continue attacking Gaza "with full force" and said his country won't consider a cease-fire until all hostages are released.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Israeli forces have "severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with intense airstrikes overnight... setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war."
"Israeli bombardments have continued across the territory, and strikes in central and southern Gaza—the purported safe zone—killed dozens of people on Sunday," AP added.
Israeli settler violence is also mounting in the illegally occupied West Bank. A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement last week that "in repeated incidents, armed settlers have given Palestinian communities ultimatums to leave their homes or be killed."
"In one chilling example of the intimidation communities are facing, pamphlets were reportedly left by settlers on Palestinian vehicles with threatening messages telling them to leave now or face 'elimination,'" the official said.
In their joint statement on Sunday, the global aid leaders reiterated their "plea for the parties to respect all their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law."
"We renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on—including hospitals, shelters, and schools—must be protected," they added. "More aid—food, water, medicine, and of course fuel—must enter Gaza safely, swiftly, and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.