Urgent Action for Gaza
16th May 2025
After more than four decades working to prevent child illness, suffering and death, IBFAN is well aware of the pain that each loss causes. In more than 160 countries our network has worked in adverse conditions, but has never known such aggression as the genocide that the Government of Israel continues to carry out against the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank.
Almost twenty thousand children have been massacred, together with their families – the Lancet estimates that there have been over 100,000 deaths – all with no accountability. These illegal and immoral actions are perpetrating collective punishment on Gaza’s population. A population that for decades has been confined and forced to live under the most degrading conditions of siege subjugation and apartheid.
Over the past three months, with disproportionate use of force, Israel has sustained indiscriminate bombardment of a defenseless population, intentionally depriving Gaza of water, food, medicine and fuel.
This weaponizing of essential humanitarian aid – a violation of International Humanitarian Law – alongside the daily bombings, has resulted in the malnutrition, starvation, and death of tens of thousands of children. Trauma physicians have evidence that sniper fire has deliberately targeted vital organs. Gaza’s orphan crisis may be the largest in modern history. By April 2025, nearly 40,000 children, including newborn babies had lost one or both parents. Amidst this horror UNICEF reports that Gaza has the highest number of child amputees. Thousands of children have lost limbs while the healthcare system has been left in ruin, incapable of providing essential care.
In recent public statements the Israeli government has exposed its intent to occupy Gaza and expel the Palestinians from their territory. It has threatened to reinforce military actions and intensify the siege of the population of Gaza, in contravention of the resolutions and condemnations of the United Nations and an increasing number of countries. Israel’s illegal acts threaten not only the Palestinians, but escalate threats to the entire world. If action is not taken to stop such atrocities, the world may enter an era of deep darkness, violence and misrule. Time to do something to avoid this catastrophe is running out. IBFAN is making an urgent and desperate call to save Gaza’s children, save the Palestinians, and demonstrate our humanity.
- IBFAN requests the governing bodies of the United Nations and its member countries to convene an urgent meeting that, in accordance with Article 6 of the UN Magna Carta, imposes sanctions on Israel and the governments that have been complicit in the genocide.
- As an urgent measure, Israel must reinstall the electricity supplies and restore the operation of de-salinization plants. It must allow the unconditional distribution of water, food, medicines and other medical supplies.Israel must allow the distribution of humanitarian aid by UNRWA and other agencies.
- IBFAN’s focus must be on the children of Gaza. It is essential that maternal and child health care is provided to ensure safe deliveries, support for life-saving skin to skin contact, breastfeeding, wet nursing and re-lactation. Breastfeeding is a life-line for mothers and children that provides nurturing care while preventing infection and malnutrition in all its forms.
- IBFAN condemns the weaponization of humanitarian aid wherever it occurs.
IBFAN calls on all its members and organizations working for children and human rights in their countries to spread this call and ask their governments to act to avoid becoming accomplices to the current genocide by commission or omission.
IBFAN calls for Global Action Against Genocide, Now
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