Gaza, 13 October 2025 – For the past two years, Al Mezan and two other Palestinian Civil Society organizations, Al Haq and PCHR, warned that Israel is committing the crime of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Al Mezan welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, but reiterates that an end to hostilities does automatically mean an end to Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Al Mezan reminds the international community that Israel has deliberately created conditions unfit for life and calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, in whole or in part. This is clearly evidenced by the declaration of a man-made famine in Gaza and the complete destruction of residential areas, leaving Palestinians in Gaza starving and living in extremely dangerous conditions. Israel must immediately stop all acts of genocide in addition to ceasing active hostilities. This includes putting an end to policies meant to create conditions of life intended to bring about the deliberate physical destruction of the Palestinian people, such as the famine.

The international community must keep in mind that, especially in the past few months before last week's announcement, Israel has not demonstrated any willingness to end its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. In fact, it has continued to implement policies of complete destruction and forcible transfer, particularly in Gaza City. Entire neighbourhoods were being razed to the ground and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee under the threat of death if they refused to leave.

Although the international community, Al Mezan included, has expressed relief that a ceasefire agreement has been reached, we remind Third States that Israel has a long history of breaking such agreements. States must exert immediate pressure on Israel to respect the ceasefire and stop all acts prohibited by Article II of the Genocide Convention, including by imposing urgently needed arms embargoes and end trade agreements.

Al Mezan agrees that an end to hostilities is urgently needed to stop the intentional targeting of Palestinians in Gaza and facilitate the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid. After two years of genocide, starvation, constant dispossession, and repeated forced displacement, Palestinians in Gaza desperately need an at-scale humanitarian response. Returning to pre-genocide levels of humanitarian aid is not an at-scale response compared to the immense needs of Palestinians in Gaza, who now require specialised treatment to deal with the effects of famine like refeeding syndrome, the rampant spread of disease due to inhumane living conditions, and the unimaginable trauma of surviving through two years of genocide. Equally as important is the need for this response to be led by United Nations agencies, namely UNRWA, because they have extensive experience in Gaza and are equipped to appropriately deliver an at-scale humanitarian response.

We strongly reiterate that a ceasefire without a strong commitment to honouring Palestinians' inalienable  right to self-determination would further entrench Israel's illegal occupation. Purported plans to reconstruct Gaza without the expressed recognition of Palestinian's right to self-determination will only contribute to the destruction of the Palestinian people through occupation, apartheid regime, and settler-colonialism. Even if this ceasefire is successful in ending active hostilities, Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and the complete siege of Gaza continues to collectively punish Palestinians and deprive them of their basic international human rights.

Trump's so-called 'peace' plan for Gaza orders the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but physical control of Gaza will be transferred to a "International Stabilisation Force," and there are no guarantees that Palestinians will finally be able to participate in their own governance. This proposal serves only to further deny Palestinians their right to freely determine their own political and economic futures, continuing the colonisation of Palestine. Furthermore, the physical removal of Israeli forces from Gaza does not mean that Israel's effective control over Gaza will not continue. As the International Court of Justice stated in its July 2024 Advisory Opinion, Israel has been occupying Gaza even since its withdrawal in 2005 because it has maintained effective control over the territory through. For Palestinians to have a just future and exercise their right to self-determination, Israel needs to end its illegal occupation of all Palestinian territory, including a complete withdrawal of Israel's military and illegal settlements in the West Bank, inclusive of East Jerusalem.

Furthermore, Al Mezan stresses that a just future for the Palestinian people means holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law, including the crime of genocide. To this end, Al Mezan calls for the international community to support international investigations into Israel's crimes, and ensuring that investigators are allowed safe entry into Gaza. We further call on the international community to uphold their responsibilities under the Genocide Convention and prosecute those responsible for Israel's genocide in domestic and international courts. The work being done to hold Israeli military and political leadership accountable at International Criminal Court  must be unequivocally supported, and States should pressure the United States to end its sanctions regime targeting the ICC and those cooperating with it. Finally, mechanisms must be implemented to monitor Israel’s compliance with the ceasefire agreements and, more generally, with international law.