Dear Prime Minister,
Distinguished Mr. President and members of the Greek Parliament,
We are witnessing, in real time, the creation of conditions for the extermination of Palestinian life in Gaza.
The Member States of the European Union and the members of the United Nations must urgently exert their influence to allow the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Every day lost reinforces complicity in the systematic extermination of a people who are permanently excluded from any aid that would allow them to survive.
The obstruction of humanitarian aid is a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2720, which calls for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. Claims that aid is being diverted by Hamas remain unconfirmed and can in no way justify such measures.
An insufficient amount of humanitarian aid is allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, which is merely a facade to make it appear that the siege has ended. Israel’s plan to instrumentalise humanitarian aid is a cynical response to the humanitarian crisis it has created.
Before October 2023, around 500 aid trucks were entering Gaza every day, according to the UN. Today, only 100 are allowed in per day, at a time of extreme crisis.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, all public hospitals in northern Gaza are now out of order. At least 20 medical facilities in Gaza have been damaged or forced to partially or fully suspend operations in recent days due to the advance of Israeli ground forces, the intensity of aerial bombardment and extensive evacuation orders. As people are still in urgent need of medical care and assistance, the Israeli authorities must immediately stop the deliberate blockade of Gaza and the destruction of its health system, which is supporting the campaign of ethnic cleansing.
The evacuation orders issued by Israel and the military blockade zones now cover 70% of Gaza. The population has been forcibly transferred from one place to another, and no area of Gaza has been unaffected by the attacks.
The depletion of fuel reserves limits the possibility of desalination and water distribution. Health facilities that are still operating – already insufficient in number and capacity for the population – continue to be attacked and face rapidly dwindling stocks of medicines and other essential supplies.
The civilian population has nowhere to find safe shelter, patients are condemned to death, the right to asylum is non-existent, family reunions are virtually impossible and medical leave is infinitesimal.
Victims include medical and health personnel, hospital workers and humanitarian workers who are targeted and are not protected, but instead lose their lives in targeted attacks.
We immediately ask the Greek Government and the members of the Greek Parliament, taking into account Greece’s status as a member-state and chair of the United Nations Security Council, to act decisively and exert the necessary institutional pressure so that:
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- Implement a permanent and lasting ceasefire
- Immediately end the blockade of Palestinians from humanitarian aid
- Israel to lift the blockade to allow unhindered entry and distribution of humanitarian supplies such as medicines, medical equipment, food, fuel and water
- Provide security guarantees to enable our teams to move to provide humanitarian and medical services
- Stop the violence and forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank by the Israeli authorities
- Stop the implementation of restrictive measures that prevent Palestinians from accessing basic services, including health care
- Ensure unhindered and safe access to people in need of medical care and humanitarian assistance, including the sick and injured
- Ensure unhindered and safe access to basic supplies such as food and water and health facilities.
- Those who wish to leave should be able to do so safely without prejudging their future choice to return
The signatory organisations – bodies
- Doctors without Borders – Greek Section
- Arsis Social Youth Support Organization
- Doctors of the World Greece
- Greek Council for Refugees
- Hellenic League for Human Rights
- ActionAid Hellas
- Diotima Centre
- Greek Greenpeace Office/ Greenpeace Greece
- HIGGS – Higher Incubator Giving Growth and Sustainability
- Safe Passage International Greece
- Greek Forum of Migrants /Greek Forum of Migrants
- SolidarityNow
- INTERSOS Hellas
- Symbiosis-Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Greece
- Child and Adolescent Centre
- SAMS Hellas – Syrian American Medical Society AMKE
- Legal Centre Lesvos
- METAction – Action for Migration and Development
- Project Armonia
- ZEUXIS
- Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
- Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR)
- HumanRights360
- The Home Project
- Babel Day Centre / Syn-irmos Amke Public. Solidarity
- Melissa Network / Melissa Network
- Solidarity of Lesvos
- Network for the Rights of the Child
- Samos Volunteers
- PRAKSIS Association
- Changemakers Lab
- Equal Rights Beyond Borders
- Irida Women’s Center
- Mobile Info Team
- KALLISTO, Environmental Organization for Wildlife and Nature
- YouBeHero AMKE
- Network for an Accessibility for All (Network for an Accessibility for All)
- Cotranspose AMKE
- Mazí Housing
- STEWARDS Non-profit Civil Society
- TEN MILLION HANDS Non-profit Civil Society
- Commonwealth “Zidoros”
- AMKE SPETSA COMMUNITY COOPERATIVES
- Association “Hospitality”
- Science United Project Non-Profit Organization
- Inter Alia
- Panos & Goldilocks help the children
- Artifactory
- “Buluki” – Touring Workshop on Traditional Building Techniques
- Openous Non-profit Civil Society
- ECOGENIA – Civil Non-Profit Company
- Liminal – Access to Culture
- ELIX
- ANTIGONI – Information and Documentation Centre for Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence
- DIVERSITY UNITED
- AMKE Rodakas
- Yoga and Sport with Refugees
- Technodromo
- Stagona
- Dråpen i Havet / Drop
- Refugee Legal Support
- Σχεδία-Centre for Pedagogical and Artistic Training
- AMURTEL Greece
- Better Days Greece
- Oia Cultural Association of Santorini, CITIZENS OF OIA
- Hellenic Ornithological Society
- Interdisciplinary Network for Special and Intercultural Education “Include”
- EXIS – INCLUSIVE DANCE GROUP
- ISON THEATRE-DANCE
- Panhellenic Pilots Union
- Youth Initiative
- Periastron
- Steps Non-profit Civil Society
- Refugee Support Aegean – Refugee Support Aegean
- Bizrupt AMKE
- Europe Cares e.V.
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece
- Common Ground Greece
- Art and Action Network, the people with balloons
- Equal Legal Aid
- The Hives Project/Hives AMKE
- Women Do Business
- Urban Bee
- Children’s Aid Association – Lalibela
- Communitism – Civic Association for the Preservation of Modern Cultural Heritage
- 4. ECHO100PLUS
- International Social Service – Greek Branch
- Open Technologies Agency – OJEU
- Home-Start Greece
- Environmental Organisation iSea
- Association “Child Trauma Response”
- I Have Rights
- HIAS Greece
- Flying Cross Hellas
- CULTUREPOLIS
- Greek Guiding Corps
- Terre des hommes Hellas – Land of the People
- SOS Children’s Villages of Greece
- Vouliwatch
- WWF Greece
- GIVMED