Envoys of OIC countries in Brussels call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza; hold Israel accountable for war crimes

Statement of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassadors based in Brussels on Israel's continuing barbaric aggression against the Palestinian people

In the face of Israel's continuing illegal and barbaric aggression against the Palestinian people, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and the upsurge of settler terrorism in the West Bank leading to very high numbers of civilian casualties, the Ambassadors of the OIC Member States based in Brussels reiterate the call made by the OIC Extraordinary Executive Committee Meeting of Foreign Ministers, held on 18 October 2023, for an immediate cessation of this illegal and inhumane Israeli aggression.

In light of Israel's relentless day and night bombing of the Palestinians, resulting so far in the killing of about 10.000 Palestinians mostly women and children and the injury of more than 26,000 citizens, while the figures on both counts are increasing rapidly, the OIC Ambassadors reject the targeting of innocent civilians under any pretext. They reiterate the call issued at the end of the 10th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly to end inhumane Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and the call made by the OIC Group in its statement during the Special Session underscoring that a ceasefire is urgently needed.

The Ambassadors of the OIC Member States underline the urgency to provide immediate, safe and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly food, water, fuel, electricity, medical needs and non-food emergency items to the Gaza Strip including through the UN institutions and particularly the United Nations Relief and Work's Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The Ambassadors of the OIC Member States reiterate their categorical rejection of any attempt to violently and forcibly displace the Palestinian population, the majority of whom are already refugees, from the Gaza Strip or to transfer the crisis created by the Israeli occupation to the neighbouring countries.

The OIC Ambassadors condemn Israeli Minister's racist comments calling for nuclear bombing of Gaza Strip and view this abhorrent speech as an extension of terrorist racist ideology which calls for the international community's condemnation and effective measures to stop the barbaric military aggression, daily massacre and genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people.

The Ambassadors of the OIC Member States stress the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people, in conformity with international humanitarian law standards as has been repeatedly advocated by the United Nations General Assembly, including in resolution ES-10/20 of 13 June 2018 and in line with the Final Communique of the 7th Extraordinary Islamic Summit, by dispatching an international protection force to protect innocent lives from ongoing attacks by the occupation forces and the extremist colonialist settlers.

The OIC Ambassadors call on the European Union institutions (the Council, the Commission, the European External Action Service, the European Parliament) and the EU

Member States to urgently engage in concerted efforts to halt Israel's barbaric military assaults on Palestinian civilians and put an end to the ethnic cleansing undertaken by Israel against the Palestinian people in its occupied territories.

In this regard, the Ambassadors of the OIC Member States call upon the European Union to undertake urgently all necessary efforts to:

- Oblige Israel to commit to an immediate and complete ceasefire,

- Put an end to the Israeli aggression,

- End impunity and hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity, including this barbaric aggression and during its more than 16-year illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip,

- Provide international protection for the Palestinian people,

- Open humanitarian corridors so as to allow rapid, safe and uninterrupted delivery of all necessary supplies of food, water, fuel, medicine and other life-saving and vital necessities to reach the civilian population in Gaza without any further delay.

The Ambassadors of the OIC Member States reaffirm their support to the Palestinian people to uphold their inalienable legitimate rights to self-determination, sovereignty and independence of the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (East Jerusalem) as its capital, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.