Since Monday, May 12, The Israeli Occupation Forces imposed a strict, comprehensive closure on all of its borders with the Gaza Strip, putting approximately 1.2 million Palestinians under siege. Foreign visitors, employees of United Nations, and international relief workers were also denied entering and exiting the Strip.

This measure is an escalation of the harassment chain that the Israeli forces has been practicing against all parties including keeping them on the borders for an extended period of time, detailed searching, and lengthy interrogation before allowing them to enter. Additionally, they were asked to sign “waivers” that the Israeli Authority is not accountable for their security in case the visitors and employees were exposed to injuries, dangers, or death while present in the Gaza Strip as a result of any military operation.

Such Israeli measures are a clear violation of international law which requires from Israel as an occupying force to allow freedom of movement and offering of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, who are under the Israeli occupation.

On the other hand, this step will increase the burdens, hardships, and the suffering of the Palestinian people due to obstacles imposed on relief organizations to resume their health, educational, and humanitarian assistance for the needy, and desperate people in the Occupied Territories.

As a result, in this respect, we urge all governments, UN agencies, and international human rights organizations to pressure Israel to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and other Occupied Territories and allow a free movement of Palestinian people, and unrestricted movement of foreigners, international relief workers and united nations employees to execute their humanitarian missions.

Up until the closure is lifted and the Israeli Government responded positively to that request, we call all international organizations working in the Gaza Strip to suspend their operations and programmes and hold the Israeli government responsible for all the consequences of such decision.