ALEXANDRIA, Va – Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) has released the following statement:
After briefly pressing pause, it is outrageous that the killing and destruction is now just resuming as if nothing has changed.
Before the truce, a child in Gaza was being killed almost every 10 minutes. It is unconscionable that the international community is now standing by and allowing this bloodshed to continue. More than 15,000 people have already been killed and now the lives of many thousands more innocent people are at imminent risk.
The aid allowed into Gaza over the last few days has been woefully inadequate to address this humanitarian catastrophe. Now many civilians are at risk of dying from starvation and disease as well as the renewed bombing.
We’ve heard reports this morning that Israel is once again ordering people to leave parts of Khan Younis in the south, but there is nowhere safe for people to go. Civilians have been bombed if they stay and bombed if move. Telling people to move does not absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians who cannot or choose not to leave.
We yet again appeal to world leaders to demand a permanent ceasefire and an end to Israel’s siege.
MEDIA CONTACT
Syed M. Hassan
mhassan@irusa.org or
(571) 421-7032 (CELL)
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Islamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of gender, race, or religion, and works to empower individuals in their communities and give them a voice in the world. Its programs benefit millions of people each year in more than 40 countries around the world, including in the United States.
Islamic Relief USA meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a national charity monitoring group affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system. Islamic Relief USA is on the U.S. government’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity list, and it is also a signatory to the code of conduct of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.