The Israeli army has issued an evacuation order for the northern part of the Gaza Strip, forcing 1.1 million Palestinians out of their homes. This is a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions.

“No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything is stopped. We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly,” is how Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant describes the measures. When Putin took similar action in Ukraine last year, he was rightly branded a war criminal.

MERA25 and DiEM25 unequivocally condemn support for imminent genocide. Western governments and media support this inhumane practice, despite UN calls to do the opposite. The UN fears a “catastrophic situation” in the event of an invasion and UN Secretary General António Guterres called for immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.

We are appalled by the attitude of many media and the established parties in Germany. We constantly read statements and see one-sided reports: the war crimes of the Israeli army against the Palestinians are presented as “defence” and the focus is one-sided on the terrible current acts of Hamas. These are as condemnable as any attack on civilians and other war crimes, no matter who commits them. We demand: Peace now!

For too long, Palestinians have been subjected to oppression, military occupation and dehumanisation. A new, dark chapter has been opened. This is a serious escalation. It may even dwarf the apartheid of the Israeli state as described by Human Rights Watch, B’tselem and Amnesty International.

In the face of the escalation of violence and the threat of genocide, we urgently call for:

• An immediate ceasefire and a halt to Israel’s preparations to invade Gaza City
• the resumption of the supply of electricity, water, food and humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip
• The opening of humanitarian corridors and evacuation routes for Gaza residents, as required by international law.

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