Agricultural lands have been destroyed, fishing areas have been closed off, bakeries and kitchens have been shut down, food stocks have been depleted, deaths due to starvation have begun, blood supplies in hospitals have been depleted, and the wounded cannot even access the water they need to survive. that Israel is blocking over 3,000 aid trucks and 116,000 tons of food from entering Gaza, and that this blockade clearly violates both the fundamental principles of international law and the binding rulings of the International Court of Justice in the South Africa-Israel case, calls for the immediate establishment of a diplomatic mission for aid convoys.
Civil society organizations wishing to sign the text may contact [email protected].
UNICEF and OCHA are calling on the international community to take urgent action:
"in Gaza, farmland has been destroyed, fishing waters are off-limits, bakeries and community kitchens are shutting down, food has run out, and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombardment. Children are “going to bed starving.” 92% of children under two and breastfeeding mothers are not receiving adequate nutrition. Hospitals have run out of blood, and those burned in explosions are left with no water to save them."
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the entire population of Gaza is experiencing acute food insecurity, with half a million people facing starvation. UNRWA and the World Food Programme have exhausted all existing aid stocks.
On April 11, 2025, the Palestinian civil society network declared that the famine in Gaza had reached an advanced stage. This statement was followed by the State of Palestine officially declaring the Gaza Strip a “famine zone” and calling for urgent international intervention. This call includes action under Article 99 of the UN Charter. Deaths related to famine have already begun, and if current conditions persist, these deaths are expected to rise rapidly. The risk of reaching the “Catastrophe” level, the fifth stage of the IPC, is described as high; therefore, immediate action is deemed critical.
The reports indicate that more than 3,000 aid trucks and 116,000 metric tons of food are ready to enter Gaza, but that this aid is being blocked by Israel. It is stated that this obstruction is contrary to the fundamental principles of international law and continues despite various provisions of international law, including the binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice in the South Africa v. Israel case. It is emphasized that, despite more than a year having passed since the issuance of these decisions, the relevant obligations have not been fulfilled.r.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said: “Aid is non-negotiable…. The entry of assistance must be restored immediately…. There must be no hindrance in humanitarian aid.. This is not a time for ritualistically expressing support, ticking a box, and moving on.”
On 29 April 2025, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned of the total collapse of life-saving support, stating that:
“Third States have clear obligations under international law to ensure that such conduct stops immediately, and they must act accordingly.”
Diplomatic humanitarian convoy must depart immediately
In light of all these urgent and vital calls, the necessity of organizing and dispatching an urgent Diplomatic Humanitarian Aid Convoy to Gaza via the Rafah Border Crossing has been emphasized once again.
The joint call, signed by Law for Palestine (L4P) and numerous human rights organizations worldwide, calls on states to send high-level official diplomatic delegations to accompany the aid trucks waiting at the Rafah Border Crossing and enter Gaza with them, as well as to join the humanitarian aid convoy.
To this end, the demands included in the call are as follows:
- We call on all states to publicly commit to joining the humanitarian convoy by dispatching official diplomatic missions to accompany the aid trucks into Gaza via the Rafah Crossing. A specific departure date will be announced soon. States must also reject the weaponisation of aid and Israel’s planned distribution mechanisms, which militarise relief efforts and bypass UN agencies and humanitarian actors.
- We urge all states to coordinate with the United Nations and the Government of Egypt to facilitate the convoy’s entry and ensure the immediate, unhindered, and safe passage of humanitarian aid, medical teams, and relief workers.
- While some governments complicit in the ongoing atrocities may choose not to participate, we call on individual diplomats, parliamentarians, and ministers from those countries to join the convoy in their personal capacities.
- We urge international media outlets to accompany the convoy – to bear witness, to document the famine, and to expose the blockade starving Gaza.
- We call on global civil society, including NGOs, trade unions, student groups, political parties, and solidarity networks, to mobilise immediately – to pressure governments to support the convoy and provide material, political, and public support.
- We call on the United Nations to urgently complete the necessary assessments and procedures required to declare Gaza a famine zone, based on verified data, and to support this unified call by actively facilitating, endorsing, and joining the Diplomatic Humanitarian Convoy.
The call is based on international law, common morality, the Genocide Convention, the ICJ's provisional measures, the UN Charter, and numerous resolutions adopted by the UN, the OIC, the Arab League, and the European and African Unions.
The appeal warns that failure to act could lead to an increase in mass deaths due to starvation, continued serious violations, and a weakening of the international legal system. It calls for concrete steps to end the deepening human rights violations in Gaza: Save Gaza. End the famine. Lift the blockade. Open the crossing points. Immediately launch the Diplomatic Humanitarian Aid Convoy.