The seventy-fifth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions marked this week should “awaken consciences so that, during armed conflicts, the life and dignity of persons and peoples, as well as the integrity of civilian structures and places of worship are respected in accordance with international humanitarian law,” said Pope Francis.
Speaking after the Angelus last Sunday in St Peter’s Square, he prayed for an end to violence in Palestine and Israel and for respect for the sacredness of human life. He said that “every day we see that the civilian population is the first to be struck, with so many innocent victims, as seen in the terrible images of children who are slaughtered every day”.
On 24 October, a coalition of more than 150 NGOs, including Pax Christi International and Caritas Internationalis, urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for the war in the region. “Without accountability, there will be no red lines and no rock bottom,” they said.
The coalition said that over the past year, the United Nations Security Council has passed four resolutions on Gaza, including one calling for a ceasefire, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention.
The ICJ also issued an advisory opinion that found that Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory to be illegal and demanded that Israel end its unlawful presence within 12 months. Yet “none of these measures have been implemented or adhered to”, said the coalition statement, concluding: “Failure to act now risks further eroding international norms and emboldening perpetrators.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza last weekend, reporting that they had detained 100 suspected Hamas militants including 44 male staff. The World Health Organisation and Palestinian medics said the hospital, which was treating roughly 200 patients, was heavily damaged in the raid.
Unicef said that “babies are reportedly running out of oxygen due to destroyed medical equipment”, appealed: “This violence has to end now.”
More than 1,000 people were reported to have been killed in the IDF offensive in northern Gaza that began earlier this month. At least 43,020 Palestinians have been killed and 101,110 wounded since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health authorities.
At an international conference in Lebanon on 24 October, the Holy See said it was “imperative" for the international community to safeguard the “independence, unity, and territorial integrity” of Lebanon.
The Jesuit Refugee Service in Lebanon reported that it was running Emergency Migrant Shelters in Beirut. The Sisters of Our Lady of Good Help in Jabboulé opened their convent to more than 800 people fleeing the bombardment in southern Lebanon. The congregation also made its school and orphanage available to displaced people.
Israel intensified strikes this week on buildings in and around the ancient Lebanese city of Tyre. The fighting in Lebanon has driven 1.2 million people from their homes, including more than 400,000 children.
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