活動の現場からREPORT

As of Saturday, April 07, 2018, The Great March of Return in Gaza has seen a total of 31 people killed and over 1,600 injured as a result of the illegal use of lethal force by the Israeli military against an unarmed population. Over 30,000 have participated in this campaign, calling for the end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and the right to return home. On the first day of demonstrations, 1010 severe injuries were reported from a number of organizations operating onsite including the ICRC, MoH, MSF, and medical staff from NGOs, who readied hospitals and clinics, set up mobile clinics throughout Gaza and set up field clinics at the site of demonstrations. Of these 1010 severe injuries reported, over 75% (758 persons) sustained gunshot wounds.

The use of lethal force by the Israeli military on unarmed civilians, including children and identified journalists, has been condemned world-wide. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman stated "We remind Israel of its obligations to ensure that excessive force is not employed against protesters and that in the context of a military occupation, as is the case in Gaza, the unjustified and unlawful recourse to firearms by law enforcement resulting in death may amount to a willful killing, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention." However, the Israeli military not only admitted to targeted killings, but celebrated them in a disturbing tweet they have since removed stating on March 31, "everything was accurate and measured, and we know where every bullet landed."

To focus only on the injustices committed during this protest is to miss the point of these protests. The Great March of Return in Gaza is occurring because of the oppressive practices of the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli government and its military. The people of Gaza, and all Palestinians, demand their right to return to the homes they were forcibly removed from and to have their basic human rights acknowledged and upheld. Those who did not march to the fence imprisoning the people of Gaza, set up a large encampment with banners showing the names of their villages and condemning the occupation. It is vital for the preservation of the Palestinian people that any resistance to the occupation be intergenerational and the encampment of the Great March of Return includes elders with keys to the homes they were expelled from and children who have been born refugees and can only experience their homeland through stories and pictures.

Not only do the people of Gaza demonstrate for the right to return, but they also demonstrate for the right to life and they demand the end of the Israeli siege on Gaza which is going on since 12 years making Gaza the largest open prison in the world. Regardless of the intentions of any organizers of this march, the people of Gaza protest for many reasons ranging from the personal to the political, as one 20 year old stated "We came here because we want dignity."

The people of Gaza continue to live in a relentless humanitarian emergency, punctuated by cycles of violent assault on the entire population, that amount to the illegal and immoral practice of collective punishment. The most recent wave of mass assault in 2014 saw 2,251 killed, including 551 children, 299 women and the inevitable permanent physical disabilities and psychosocial distress survivors must endure. Basic infrastructure was deliberately targeted to make Gaza even more unlivable than it already is and today Gaza has a 45% unemployment rate, 95% of water is not safe to drink, electricity is cut off up to 16 hours a day and infant mortality is increasing for the first time in a decade.

PMRS condemns the occupation of Palestine, the blockade on Gaza and the daily humanitarian emergencies the population endures. PMRS supports all medical personnel working to keep the population safe, despite difficult and lethal circumstances. PMRS calls for the unity of Palestinians and allies to resist the occupation and uphold the basic human rights of health, dignity and freedom.