On Saturday, Oct. 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, committing war crimes. Hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed. More than 100 soldiers and civilians were kidnapped as hostages to the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel conducted a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, resulting in massive bombings and thousands of Palestinian deaths. The United Nations reports hundreds of attacks on various civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, refugee camps, electricity and water infrastructure, … Israel completely cuts off Gaza from water, electricity, food, fuel and humanitarian aid, a clear war crime. Statements by Israeli authorities, moreover, show that it does not distinguish between civilians and military targets.

On Oct. 13, Israel called for 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to “evacuate,” in gross violation of international law, according to the International Red Cross, Palestinian and international human rights organizations and the United Nations. UN experts warn of an “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza and a “second Nakba,” while more than 800 academics argue that a “genocide” is imminent in Gaza. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Palestine and Israel already confirmed that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes. Human Rights Watch also reports that the Israeli army used white phosphorus, a weapon whose use is prohibited in densely populated areas. Also in the West Bank and Jerusalem, settlers with the support of the Israeli army have stepped up their violent attacks, killing 50 people since Oct. 7. Their political leaders have never given up the dream of “recapturing” Gaza and re-colonizing it.

In the face of this unprecedented escalation, the international community must keep international law in mind. The killing, kidnapping and hostage-taking of civilians are war crimes. So too are indiscriminate bombing and collective punishment of a civilian population.

Violations of international humanitarian law are unacceptable no matter who the perpetrators are. European leaders must make it clear to Israel that Hamas’ heinous and unacceptable acts in no way entitle it to commit large-scale war crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.  By systematically refusing to oblige all parties to respect international law and by allowing violations to go unpunished, the international community bears a crushing responsibility for the desperate situation we now find ourselves in.

In addition, it is important to understand the context in which this escalation is taking place. For more than 16 years, Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip. More than 2 million Palestinians are being collectively punished as a result. The humanitarian situation in the area is dramatic: 97% of running water is unfit for consumption, nearly half the population is unemployed, and 80% of the population is dependent on international aid. Moreover, the blockade of Gaza is only one aspect of the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime that Israel imposes on the entire Palestinian people.