The following statement was issued by the ACT Palestine Forum on March 21, 2025:
On the morning of March 18, 2025, just two months after the ceasefire agreement came into effect, the world woke up to another brutal military escalation in Gaza, marked by heavy airstrikes. These attacks resulted in a horrific massacre, more than 404 people were killed and over 562 people were injured, the majority of whom were children, women, and elderly people (Humanitarian Situation Update #273 | Gaza Strip – Question of Palestine.) Meanwhile, military operations against defenceless civilians continue unabated. This unprecedented escalation is a humanitarian catastrophe, which is deepening the suffering of civilians who have already endured immense hardships.
This new attack is an unacceptable violation of the ceasefire and a reckless disregard for Palestinian civilian lives, demonstrating – once again – utter contempt for international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilians and obliges warring parties to protect innocent lives. It also underscores the ongoing policy of collective punishment imposed on Gaza’s population. This is a time when we must continue to collectively speak out as an international community to loudly denounce this violence.
The ACT Palestine Forum strongly condemns this flagrant breach of the ceasefire, the massacre of civilians and the resumption of hostilities in Gaza. We urge governments, humanitarian organisations, churches, and all people of goodwill, to take immediate action and apply maximum international pressure to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and call for an immediate lasting ceasefire. We call for the obligations and duties under international law to be fulfilled and for renewed commitment to the negotiation process to ensure the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees in accordance with the principles of justice and human rights.
The failure of the international community to halt these crimes will only deepen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and fuel further destruction and bloodshed. The shattering of the ceasefire agreement is a gross violation of human rights and in contravention of international humanitarian law. We call upon the international community to stand together with the ACT Palestine Forum and demand urgent and concrete steps to end the new escalation and save the remaining innocent lives trapped under relentless bombardment and siege.
There is no justification for the ongoing bloodshed. A political and diplomatic solution must be pursued with urgency to prevent further loss of life and ensure the protection of civilians. We call on all stakeholders to prioritise peace, uphold international law, and work urgently towards a just and lasting peace.
