4. The Assembly points to the responsibilities of Hamas, not only for the massacre of 7 October but alsofor its protracted refusal to free the hostages unconditionally, as called for by the United Nations, and to givethe Red Cross the access it needed to them.

5. The Assembly refers to its Resolution 2524 (2024) adopted on 23 January 2024 “Recent developmentsin the Middle East: Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and Israel’s response” in which it pointed to the loss ofthousands of lives, massive displacement and widespread destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure inGaza and voiced its sorrow and dismay at the staggering number of innocent casualties in the Gaza Strip. Italso notes that many parliamentarians spoke in favour of an immediate ceasefire in the current affairs debateson the “War in Gaza: ensuring the release of the hostages, the implementation of an immediate ceasefire andthe provision of humanitarian aid” and on the “Situation in the Middle-East: escalation of violence andmounting humanitarian crisis, particularly in Gaza”, held respectively on 27 June and 1 October 2024.

6. Today, the Assembly expresses its deep concern that the humanitarian situation in Gaza – which wasalready under stress before October 2023 and clearly dire at the time of Resolution 2524 (2024) – hasdeteriorated further as a result of the 15 months of military operations in Gaza. The Assembly cannot acceptthat this humanitarian crisis could be portrayed or seen as inevitable or be allowed to become the “newnormal”. The incessant bombing and ground operations of Israel are only adding to the death toll of innocentcivilians. The coming winter will exacerbate the already inhuman and degrading living conditions of the peopleof Gaza and the hostages held by Hamas, who are subjected to an infernal cycle of suffering. The Assemblycannot remain silent while thousands of children continue to die and suffer life-altering injuries on a dailybasis, especially in a situation where they have no means of escape and no access to even the most basichumanitarian services or assistance. This represents a blatant violation of children’s rights under the UNConvention on the rights of the child, 1949 Geneva Conventions and 1977 additional protocols.

7. The Assembly underlines that humanitarian organisations working in Gaza – whose ability to work onthe ground is severely hampered, if not almost totally disrupted – sounded the alarm at two hearings held bythe Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development on 13 and 30 September 2024. Theyreported that the majority of people in the Gaza Strip have little or no access to basic foodstuffs and hygieneproducts, drinking water, electricity or heating. 90% of the population has been displaced at least once andsome even up to 15 times. Every displacement results in loss of necessary goods, contacts with family andrelations, and in worse living conditions. People are living in makeshift shelters made from plastic tarpaulinwhich will be unusable in winter, having already been partly destroyed by the recent rains. They areconcentrated in small, overcrowded areas, where rubbish is piling up because it cannot be disposed of ortreated. As a result, preventable diseases and infections have spread among the already vulnerablepopulation. At the same time, the Assembly must point out that over 120 000 Israelis have been evacuatedfrom their homes near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon during the war, and that over half of these havestill not been able to return home safely.

8. The healthcare system is on the brink of collapse due to the widespread destruction of medicalinfrastructure and the lack of supplies of essential goods resulting from administrative and physical restrictionsimposed by the parties to the conflict, particularly the State of Israel. As a result, the population and hostagesin Gaza have often no access to essential medicine such as insulin or blood pressure medication. In asituation where potentially fatal injuries are common, surgical dressings and essential medicines are hard tocome by and there are no longer enough blood supplies to meet even half of the needs. Surgery, when it canbe performed, is mainly carried out in field hospitals set up in tents.

9. The Assembly refers to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of 12 December 2023demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza. In Resolution 2024/2508(RSP) adopted on18 January 2024 on “the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the need to reach a ceasefire and the risks ofregional escalation”, the European Parliament also called for a permanent ceasefire and for full, rapid, safeand unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. On 26 January 2024, the International Court ofJustice (ICJ) issued an order stating that “Israel must, in accordance with its obligations under the GenocideConvention, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, take all measures within its power to prevent the commissionof all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention” and “take immediate and effective measures toenable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverseconditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. To this day this order has not been acted upon orimplemented. On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued two warrants of arrest forMr Benjamin Netanyahu and for Mr Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed fromat least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.

II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 23 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

50