Dear Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, write to you as concerned global citizens deeply shocked by the genocide unfolding in Gaza. The targeted killings of Palestinian civilians by Israel have reached the thousands and are increasing daily. The immense destruction of infrastructure and collective punishment measures being utilized against 2.3 million civilians, including the elderly, women and children, cannot be allowed to continue. 

On 17 October 2023, hundreds of Palestinans were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack on Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. 
Around one million Palestinians in Gaza are under the age of 15 or over the age of 60.

We urgently request your immediate intervention to put an end to this ongoing massacre by Israel against Palestinian civilians. As the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated -- “there is no safe place in Gaza.”

In just one week, over one million Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are already refugees, were forced to flee their homes again. The situation in Gaza is dire and innocent lives are at stake. Humanitarian supplies, including life saving items such as water, food, fuel, and electricity, continue to blocked from entering Gaza by Israel. 

We hereby urge the United Nations Secretary-General to:

1.     Call for Immediate Ceasefire: Use the Secretary General’s good offices to secure an immediate ceasefire and prevent the loss of more innocent lives. Any ceasefire must be effective and immediate to have a viable impact. 

2.     Protection of Civilians: Ensure that all parties uphold their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, by protecting civilians, civilian infrastructure, civilian access to humanitarian aid such as food, shelter, water, electricity, medication and medical supplies, basic social services. Safe zones should also be established. 

3.     Provision of Humanitarian Assistance: Demand the end of the blockade and all forms of collective punishment measures by Israel against innocent Palestinians in Gaza. We also urgently demand the immediate establishment of humanitarian corridors. This includes ensuring unhindered access, the safety and security of  all humanitarian organizations and staff to provide humanitarian assistance to all those affected, and the unconditional entry of food, water, fuel, medication and medical supplies and other life saving  items without delay.

4.     International Monitoring: Call for the establishment of an international, reliable, and independent monitoring mechanism under the umbrella of the Human Rights Council (HRC) to ensure compliance with obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and to report human rights violations and compliance of these measures to the HRC.

We urge you to act swiftly. Time is of the essence. The world is watching in horror while a genocide unfolds.

Sincerely,