Urgent call to put an end to the devastating humanitarian catastrophe and the killing of journalists in Gaza
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 2 October 2025
(34th sitting) (see Doc. 16273,
report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons,
rapporteur: Lord Michael German). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 2 October 2025 (34th sitting).
1. Two years on from the appalling
terrorist attack and hostage taking perpetrated by Hamas against
Israel on 7 October 2023, which the Parliamentary Assembly has from
the outset unequivocally condemned, Israel’s military operations
in Gaza continue without respite. These protracted military operations
have inflicted an unbearable toll on civilians, devastated Gaza
and its infrastructure for decades to come and spread instability across
the wider region.
2. Over this period, efforts to find a way out of the current
crisis in Gaza have not succeeded, and the devastation of the territory
and human suffering of the civilian population are giving rise to
increasing dismay and condemnation internationally, including in
Europe. A growing number of States, including several Council of
Europe member and observer States, have recognised the State of
Palestine in 2025, reflecting a deepening international consensus
that a return to a credible political perspective is essential to
finding a long-lasting peace. The Assembly recognises the responsibility
both of Hamas in igniting the current crisis and in continuing to
hold the hostages and of the Israeli Government for its disproportionate
response to the attacks of 7 October 2023, which has taken tens
of thousands of civilian lives and reduced much of the Gaza Strip
to rubble.
3. The Assembly notes the renewed efforts led by the United States
of America to find a negotiated solution and expresses hope for
an end to the conflict.
4. The Assembly recalls its previous resolutions on the humanitarian
crisis in Gaza, in particular
Resolution 2582
(2025) “The absolute and urgent need to end the humanitarian
crisis for women, children and the hostages in Gaza”, which have
sought a permanent and unconditional ceasefire, the return of the
hostages and a renewed effort to achieve a political solution in
Gaza.
5. Supporting all efforts to identify a peaceful end to the current
crisis and a long-lasting reconciliation process and political agreement
between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and peoples, the Assembly
once more calls for an urgent end to the severe humanitarian crisis,
which worsens day by day, and pays particular attention to the protection
of journalists in Gaza, so that they can carry out their work of
reporting to the world, in safety, on the situation on the ground.
6. The military response of Israel to the 7 October 2023 attacks
has killed more than 65 000 Palestinians, including over 17 000
children. Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled, with housing,
schools, hospitals and cultural sites reduced to rubble. The hardship
of multiple displacements of the population to overcrowded shelters
or makeshift camps has been compounded by Israel’s blocking of aid
and food, leading to the formal recognition of famine in areas of
Gaza by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine
Review Committee in August 2025. The Assembly underlines that the
deliberate targeting of civilians and the widespread destruction
of civilian infrastructure cannot be justified under the pretext
of self-defence and represent grave violations of international
humanitarian law.
7. It is especially painful that the Palestinian children of
Gaza have lost their families, homes and access to education and
have been endangered and traumatised to an extent that will affect
their whole lives, wherever they live.
8. On 16 September 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel concluded that
the State of Israel had committed and was continuing to commit genocide.
The Assembly emphasises the essential role of international judicial
institutions in addressing these grave allegations and that accountability for
violations of international humanitarian law is essential for any
sustainable peace. It also highlights in this respect the obligation
of all States parties to prevent genocide pursuant to Article I
of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide.
9. The Assembly deplores the use of violent and dehumanising
language by Israeli officials, including members of Prime Minister
Netanyahu’s government. Several Council of Europe member States
have imposed sanctions on Israeli Government ministers for repeated
incitement against Palestinian civilians. Such rhetoric contributes
to a climate conducive to serious human rights abuses against the
Palestinian civilian population.
10. The expansion of military operations targeting Gaza City,
beginning in August 2025, has intensified the already intolerable
human suffering and humanitarian catastrophe. These operations have
resulted in further mass displacement, a new acceleration in the
widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure and the further
loss of civilian life in a situation where the population was already
facing extreme deprivation.
11. The formal confirmation of famine in Gaza City and surrounding
areas by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine
Review Committee in August 2025 has demonstrated that Israel has
not responded to repeated calls to allow unhindered food, medical
supplies, fuel and other essential aid into Gaza to reach those
in need. Aid delivery models approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet
have violated core humanitarian principles and have exposed civilians
and aid workers to significant harm, often resulting in deaths,
including of children seeking food and water for their families.
The Assembly stresses that the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian
relief constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian
law.
12. The Assembly welcomes efforts by member States of the Council
of Europe to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and the commitment
taken, on 23 September 2025, by the governments of 24 member States
to provide support needed for the treatment of patients from Gaza.
13. The Assembly underlines that transparency and accountability
in situations of armed conflict depend on the ability of independent
journalists to operate safely. Journalists are our eyes and ears
on the ground, bearing witness to political and military developments,
and most importantly humanitarian catastrophes and crises. Journalists’
exposure to life-threatening circumstances, or even death, deprives
us of access to information. Since October 2023, more than 200 journalists,
mostly Palestinian, have been killed and dozens detained. Although
Israel denies deliberately targeting journalists and insists it
only strikes military objectives, it has alleged that the majority
of journalists killed were in fact terrorists and has also alleged
a collaboration between al-Jazeera and Hamas. This claim has been
rejected by al-Jazeera and international press associations. At
the same time, Hamas itself has been accused by the Committee to
Protect Journalists of under-reported repression, including intimidation,
detentions and violence towards critics. Despite immense risks and
amid the destroyed media infrastructure and the severe humanitarian
crisis, local journalists, often young and non-professional and
thus lacking any resources or security protection, continue to document
daily life.
14. Foreign journalists remain largely barred from Gaza and those
allowed entry are controlled by the Israel Defense Forces, limiting
independent coverage. In addition to hundreds of media outlets,
international organisations such as Reporters Without Borders, the
Committee to Protect Journalists and the European Federation of
Journalists have issued urgent appeals for free access and the protection
of journalists. They have also demanded investigations into alleged
war crimes such as systematic starvation.
15. The Assembly deplores the exceptionally high number of journalists
killed or injured in Gaza and reiterates that journalists and media
workers are civilians under international humanitarian law. It calls
on all parties to ensure their protection and the safe, unhindered
access of all journalists to conflict areas so that the realities
of the war can be accurately and independently reported.
16. The Assembly is following the progress of the Global Sumud
Flotilla towards Gaza. This civilian and non-violent initiative
comprises about 50 vessels and several hundred volunteers, including
many citizens of Council of Europe member States. Its purpose is
to deliver humanitarian aid and to draw attention to the long-standing
Israeli blockade of Gaza. Members of the Israeli Government have
made threats concerning this flotilla, based on unsubstantiated
allegations that it constitutes an initiative by Hamas. The Assembly
notes with grave concern unprecedented reports of drone strikes
in Tunisian waters on 8 and 9 September 2025, and again on 23 and
24 September 2025 off the Greek coast. In response to these incidents,
Italy and Spain have deployed naval escorts to accompany the flotilla.
17. The Assembly is convinced that only a return to a situation
in which the principles of humanitarian law are fully respected
and seen to be respected, and in which journalists are allowed to
carry out their work of information gathering and reporting in safety
and independence, will create the necessary conditions for a resolution
of the current crisis and a secure and peaceful future for the Israeli
and Palestinian peoples. It calls upon the parties to the conflict,
and to all the international community, to put an end to the man-made humanitarian
catastrophe in Gaza with no more delay.
18. With regard to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the Assembly:
18.1 demands the immediate and unconditional
release of all hostages held in Gaza;
18.2 calls for an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire
in Gaza to halt the appalling loss of civilian life, prevent further
displacement and create space for political dialogue;
18.3 insists that all parties comply strictly with international
humanitarian law, ensuring full protection of civilians, medical
facilities and humanitarian workers;
18.4 calls for the immediate and unhindered entry and distribution
of humanitarian aid, including food, water, medicine, fuel and shelter.
19. As regards the role of Council of Europe member and observer
States, the Assembly calls on them to:
19.1 take resolute and immediate measures to help ensure the
return of the remaining hostages and put an end to the conflict
in Gaza, and provide the necessary humanitarian and other assistance
to the people of Gaza;
19.2 respect and uphold their obligations under international
law, including by supporting the work of United Nations organs and
agencies and the work of the International Court of Justice, and
by ensuring respect for the rules laid down in the Geneva Conventions
in all circumstances;
19.3 facilitate medical evacuations, including the provision
of both treatment and transport, with particular attention to children
and their families, as well as pregnant women and their families;
19.4 devise and put in place special rehabilitation programmes
for Palestinian children.
20. As regards journalists, the Assembly urges Israel to immediately
take the following measures:
20.1 allow
safe and unhindered access to Gaza and other conflict areas for
accredited journalists and media workers;
20.2 stop targeting journalists and their families, in addition
to civilians;
20.3 carry out full and independent investigations into the
deaths of journalists in Gaza, make public the conclusions and take
any steps necessary to hold those responsible to account.
21. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States to:
21.1 continue to exert pressure to
grant immediate free and safe access for accredited international journalists
and media workers to Gaza so that the situation on the ground can
be observed and reported;
21.2 call for and facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian
journalists and their families from Gaza, and provide them with
psychological and material support, where necessary, for their immediate
protection.
22. The Assembly urges the International Criminal Court to investigate
the alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army against journalists
in Gaza.
23. With regard to the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Assembly:
23.1 condemns all reported attacks
and acts of harassment against it and reiterates the obligation
of all States to respect international law, in particular the law
of the sea, including the duty to conduct search-and-rescue operations
whenever vessels within their designated zones are in distress;
23.2 calls on member States of the Council of Europe to engage
in diplomatic efforts with Israel to guarantee the safe delivery
of humanitarian aid by the flotilla.
