More than 300 Israeli academics call for end to ‘atrocities’ in Gaza
The senior academics – numbering 341 in total – said they could not “stand idly by while actions leading to a global-scale disaster are carried out in our name”.
Their message, as reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, was addressed to the Israeli government, the Israeli army, and the general public.
“Stop the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Medical aid, food, and water must be allowed in immediately, and the firing on unarmed civilians must cease,” they said.
Israelis feel international community ‘has lost patience’
Meron Rapoport, journalist and editor at Local Call and +972, says Israeli society feels mounting pressure over the Israeli government’s blockage of humanitarian aid to the Strip.
“People are feeling that the international community has lost patience with Israel,” Rapoport told Al Jazeera, adding that they see reports on international media regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip and see the growing number of incidents involving confrontations of Israeli tourists around the world.
“There are also people in Israel who say this [what is happening in Gaza] will harm Israel for decades,” Rapoport said, noting that there is a growing number of demonstrators taking to the streets to end the war.
Israeli NGO says aid concessions far from an ‘adequate response’
Gisha, an Israeli organisation that advocates for freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza, says Israeli concessions to allow more aid into the Strip are steps to bring about a “minimal” increase in humanitarian assistance.
“The ‘humanitarian pauses’ in certain areas recently announced by Israel, as well as the resumption of airdropping a minimal amount of aid – are far from providing an adequate response to the humanitarian catastrophe Israel has created in the Gaza Strip,” the group said in a social media post. “This disaster could and should have been prevented.”
