The latest Israeli atrocities across Gaza must be the final red line for governments to immediately halt all arms sales to Israel, Islamic Relief Worldwide says. In just the past few hours, Israeli attacks have burned children alive in their tents, bombed a polio vaccination site and killed starving mothers as they queue for food. At the same time, families are being starved out of their homes as Israel has cut off all food and other aid to northern Gaza.  

Arms sales are aiding and abetting these atrocities and likely war crimes, and governments must not be complicit in fuelling this horror.  

With global attention shifting away from Gaza, Israel has stepped up attacks on Palestinians across the territory. In central Gaza, this morning children have been burned alive after the Israeli military bombed al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah. Aid workers report screams of agony filling the air and doctors are treating dozens of women and children with severe third-degree burns, but the hospital has no dedicated burn unit. More than 1 million people are now trapped in inhumane and dangerous conditions in the tiny so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ in central Gaza, between Deir al Balah and al Mawasi, and now Israel is forcing even more people there as it aims to empty northern Gaza.

In Jabalia in northern Gaza, Israel is stepping up its stated plans to annex territory and force Palestinians out through relentless bombing and starvation. Dozens of civilians have been killed there in the past few days and Israel has tightened its siege, preventing any new food supplies from entering northern Gaza for the past 2 weeks, since the start of October. This morning bombs struck a food distribution in Jabalia, killing starving mothers, fathers and children as they queued for scraps of food.   

Yet while Israel orders people in the north to move south, many say they have been shot by Israeli snipers as they try to do so. Many families are now trapped between bombs and snipers, with nowhere to escape. Civilians who do not leave northern Gaza do not lose their right to protection and assistance under international law.  

The escalating bombing and forcible transfer of civilians is making it even harder to vaccinate young children against polio, with potentially generational consequences. The second round of the polio vaccination campaign is set to begin today, aiming to give a vital second vaccine dose to almost 600,000 children under 10 years old – but plans are now in jeopardy and at least one school intended to be used as a site for vaccinations has been bombed in the past 24 hours, killing many displaced civilians who were sheltering there.

Gaza is being wiped out before the eyes of the world. Despite Israel’s ongoing ban on international media access into Gaza, and targeted attacks on journalists, governments cannot say they do not know about these atrocities. They must take bolder action and ensure there are consequences for violations of international law. Islamic Relief Worldwide is calling on governments to suspend all arms transfers; unequivocally demand that Israel’s annexation and forcible transfer of Palestinians in northern Gaza must stop; and pressure Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order to prevent genocide.