The humanitarian situation of (mainly) children and women in Gaza, the West Bank and in Israel

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15977 | 18 April 2024

Signatories:

Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Abdurrahman BABACAN, Türkiye, NR ; Mr Caspar van den BERG, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Jone BLIKRA, Norway, SOC ; Mr Mustafa CANBEY, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Laura CASTEL, Spain, UEL ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Heike ENGELHARDT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Cerni ESCALÉ, Andorra, SOC ; Ms Sascha FAXE, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Mr Paul GAVAN, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Armen GEVORGYAN , Armenia, EC/DA ; Ms Meryem GÖKA, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Seda GÖREN BÖLÜK, Türkiye, NR ; Mr Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Spain, SOC ; Mr Konur Alp KOÇAK, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO, Spain, SOC ; Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Mr Søren SØNDERGAARD, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Derya TÜRK-NACHBAUR, Germany, SOC ; Ms Gala VELDHOEN, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Zeynep YILDIZ, Türkiye, NR

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

“Be silent when the children sleep, don’t be silent when the children die”

The Council of Europe finds its origins and purpose in the protection of human rights. Since 7 October 2023, the conflict between Hamas and the State of Israel has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of people in the Palestinian territories, mainly (but not exclusively) in Gaza, and in Israel.

In Gaza, an estimated 33 700 Palestinians have been killed, amongst whom 70 % are children and women. Hundreds of Israeli people are still held hostage. An estimated 75 000 people have been seriously injured. Thousands of children have to fend for themselves without caretakers. Half of the population faces a risk of famine. All this in extremely unsafe situations which include lack of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. It is clear that the most vulnerable people, like the many children, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly, are hit the hardest by the harsh conditions and lack of safety.

As a consequence, several international institutions already expressed grave concerns about the situation, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations Security Council, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

These facts illustrate that it is high time that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe speaks about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the West Bank and in Israel. The Assembly should investigate the consequences of the conflict on women and children following all warning signs from non-governmental organisations around the world and the above-mentioned institutions, namely the ICJ in its Order of 28 March 2024, the UN Security Council in its resolution S/RES/2728(2024) of 25 March 2024, as well as from UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell expressed in its several statements on Gaza (for example the one dated 7 February 2024) and UN Secretary General António Guterres.