LETTER | Will the international community stop the Gaza bloodbath?

LETTER | The ongoing extermination war waged by the Israeli occupation army on the Gaza Strip for the past few days has pushed several families to disperse their family members across multiple locations for fear of the complete extermination of their members.

Palestinian sources indicate the difficulty in counting the actual number of martyrs due to the ongoing intense and violent around-the-clock raids on Gaza and the presence of many victims under the rubble.

International statements condemning the Israeli actions are escalating.

These actions are described by the international community as war crimes, such as displacement, deprivation of aid, and bombing of civilians.

But still, the international community is not playing its vital role in stopping the bloodbath in Gaza Strip because the condemnations are merely verbal and lack any action on the ground even after the attack on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip that killed more than 500 people.

International law, which the United Nations relies on in opposing the Israeli blockade, stipulates the full protection of civilian populations during military operations. It prohibits or restricts combat actions that may cause them suffering.

International law also prohibits the direct or indiscriminate targeting of civilians or taking reprisals against them. It forbids starving them as a method of warfare, which Israel has recently done against the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Israel bombed the Rafah Palestinian crossing twice in a single day and threatened to target any aid coming from Egypt towards the strip, in a clear violation of rule 55 of the International humanitarian law.

Rule 55 allows the passage of humanitarian aid convoys, ensuring their protection, and facilitating their arrival to civilians to ensure their survival.

Furthermore, Article 17 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of Aug 12, 1949, prohibits forcing civilians to displace for reasons related to the conflict, which is what Israel is currently doing through its indiscriminate bombing of residential areas in Gaza to force its inhabitants to flee their homes or perish under their rubble.

In its war on the Gaza Strip, Israel also breaches several provisions of international law, such as failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and deliberately causing harm to civilians and their property.

Article 25 of The Hague Convention 1907 prohibits the attack or bombardment of cities, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended, regardless of the method used.

Furthermore, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court emphasises that intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities "constitutes a war crime".

Additionally, international law prohibits targeting medical personnel, such as doctors and paramedics, medical transport, and hospitals.

In conclusion, will the international community actively play its role in stopping the ongoing bloodbath that has been happening since 1948?

MUHAMMAD FATEH LABANIEH and HAFIDZ HAKIMI HARON are lecturers at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.