OPT/Israel: Ceasefire in Gaza, but escalating violence in the West Bank threatens fragile truce
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“The ceasefire offers a brief respite from unimaginable suffering, but it cannot undo the immense loss of life and destruction. The international community must act decisively to ensure justice, accountability, and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis. This moment demands humanity, hope, and a commitment to end decades of injustice and violence.” Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President
24 January 2025: PEN International welcomes the long overdue ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, following over 460 days of a devastating war on Gaza. Effective from Sunday, 19 January, the agreement includes a temporary halt of hostilities, as well as the release of hostages held in Gaza and arbitrarily detained Palestinians.
As we welcome the ceasefire agreement, the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with over 46,000 reported fatalities and intensive destruction of civilian infrastructure essential to the survival of the entire Palestinian population, the majority of whom remain internally displaced.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has caused immense devastation, death and injury. Entire cities have been levelled, infrastructure destroyed, and large areas rendered uninhabitable. Since October 2023, Israel’s total siege has cut off electricity, water, and fuel, while a suffocating blockade has obstructed humanitarian aid and denied essential services. Widespread destruction, mass displacement, and worsening hunger and disease have left Gaza in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
PEN International is however, gravely concerned over the escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, as Israel launches a new military operation which has claimed the lives of at least ten Palestinians, days after the long overdue Gaza ceasefire was enacted. This risks shattering any glimmer of relief to Palestinians who endured over 15 months of mass murder of civilians, indiscriminate bombardment, ethnic cleansing, and starvation in Gaza, as well as settler violence and mass arbitrary arrests in the West Bank.
In September 2024, PEN International adopted a critical resolution during its 90th Annual Congress, condemning the alarming increase in targeted killings, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on access to information in Palestine and Israel following the events of 7th October 2023, with Israeli authorities primarily responsible for these violations. PEN International also calls on the international community to support swift, independent, and transparent investigations into the killings of writers and journalists, and work towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine in accordance with international law.
PEN International calls on Israel to ensure immediate and unfettered access to life-saving humanitarian aid to all areas of Gaza necessary for the survival of its population and the reconstruction of hospitals and other critical infrastructures. It also calls for the immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza, and for independent human rights monitors and journalists to be granted unrestricted access to Gaza without delay to uncover evidence and document the full extent of the violations.
PEN International reiterates its calls for a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and an end to the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian Territories in accordance with international law and the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024. It continues to call for an immediate and permanent end of all hostilities in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the release of all Israeli hostages and arbitrarily imprisoned Palestinians, the protection of and accountability for the egregious murder of civilians, including a staggering number of writers, journalists, artists, and cultural workers killed since 7th October 2023, marking it as the deadliest conflict for writers in recent history.
Note to editors:
For more information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region, email: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, [email protected]
