Egyptian Parliament and human rights council document Israeli war crimes in Gaza

Ahram Online , Thursday 2 Nov 2023

The Human Rights Committee at the House of Representatives along with the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), and 14 civil society organizations documented crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against civilians in the Gaza Strip, in particular, and all the Palestinian territories in general.

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During a joint meeting on Thursday, MP Tarek Radwan, the head of the human rights committee, said that “Egypt has always supported the Palestinian cause and people, and will remain its primary and main supporter until Palestine obtains all its rights and independence," according to a statement.

Radwan also called for “a just and comprehensive peace, based on the two-state solution,” calling it the path to achieving "true and sustainable security for the Palestinian people."

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip is a war crime,” Radwan added, citing international humanitarian law, also known as the law of armed conflicts, in accordance with the United Nations and the four Geneva Conventions.

He called Israel’s violations “genocide against the Palestinian people with extreme brutality and violence,” pointing out the occupying state’s use of internationally prohibited weapons.

He also called out the Zionist entity’s disregard for the global condemnation of its heinous acts and demands for an immediate ceasefire.

Radwan listed some of Israel’s violations in the past month, which include: 

  • The bombing of the vicinity of the Al-Ahly Arab Hospital in southern Gaza killed 471 civilians.
  • 12 hospitals and 32 health centers went out of service due to the fuel shortage caused by Israel’s blockade.
  • The Israeli targeting of 160 schools with 19 of them now going out of service.
  • The damage to 40 facilities belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
  • The destruction of places of worship including 32  mosques since 7 October.
  • He also cited a UNRWA report, which stated that 53 UNRWA staff members had been killed since 7 October.

“All of this happened in full view and hearing of the international community, with the military and political support of the United States of America,” Radwan said.

Next, the meeting issued a set of recommendations, which included:

  • Developing a plan with implementation stages with relevant committees in European, American, Canadian, South American, Asian, and African parliaments to pressure Israel to stop the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and allow urgent aid to reach them.
  • Holding an emergency session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), including briefings from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and others to discuss the nature of the violations that occurred in Gaza throughout the events and determine the responsibilities of the parties involved.
  • Initiating a collective movement, including a UNHRC resolution, to demand the International Criminal Court to dispatch an urgent investigation mission to Gaza and the West Bank to collect evidence, hear testimonies, and document all potential crimes falling within the court's jurisdiction, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, apartheid, and incitement to commit them, particularly focusing on the international crimes committed in Gaza during October 2023 and beyond.
  • Organizing public and private meetings to explain Egypt's support of the Palestinian Cause and the risks that threaten the peace process in the region due to Israeli attacks and the deprivation of Palestinians from their right to an independent state on their lands, including east Jerusalem.

Radwan's speech also included a report on the Palestinian civilian casualties since 7 October, which is now nearly 9,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

This does not include those missing under the rubble, and people who were buried directly without being brought to hospitals and not registered, and therefore the actual number of casualties is much higher, he said.

Radwan noted that over 640,000 internally displaced persons reside in 150 UNRWA facilities across various parts of the Gaza Strip.

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