Civilians must be protected in Gaza and Southern Israel
An Israeli policeman inspects the damage after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. (Above) Palestinian families leave the scene after an Israeli air strike in the area badly damaged their houses in Gaza City. © AFP Amnesty International calls on Israeli forces to immediately halt the unlawful attacks carried out as part of the escalation of violence which has caused over 500 Palestinian deaths and 2000 injuries since December 27. Amnesty International also condemns the rocket fire
by armed Palestinian groups including Hamas which resulted in 5 Israeli deaths with several dozen injured.
This is the highest level of Palestinian fatalities and casualties in four decades of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Scores of unarmed civilians, as well as police personnel who were not directly participating in the hostilities, are among the Palestinian victims of the Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
The escalation of violence comes at a time when the civilian population already faces a daily struggle for survival due to the Israeli blockade which has prevented even food and medicines from entering Gaza. In an Amnesty International report published in March 2008, AI reported that more than 80% of Palestinians in Gaza rely on humanitarian assistance, with UN food aid going to about 1.1 million people – three quarters of the population. The report also stated that the number of families dependant on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has increased tenfold since 1999.
Amnesty International calls on the international community to intervene without delay to ensure that civilians caught up in the violence are protected and that international humanitarian and human rights workers have immediate and safe access to Gaza.
» Call on Secretary Rice to urge all parties to protect civilians and end unlawful attacks
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Read Amnesty International's press release
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Read the letter to Secretary Rice
Year in Review: Top 10 Words of 2008
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We've made hard-earned progress this year -- and we can do even more in the year ahead. And that's all because of people, just like you, who took time to write a letter, or send an action to a friend, or respond to an appeal with a generous donation.
Here are just a few highlights from 2008:
* 1.5 million letters: online and hand written letters delivered to governments worldwide and Congress here at home.
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* 116 people protected from persecution and danger: from China to Turkey to Myanmar (Burma) to the United States, your letters worked! And helped free innocent human rights activists and political prisoners.
* 18 death penalty executions averted: 18 stays or commutations worldwide (8 in the U.S., 2 in Texas). And tens of thousands of letters and numerous vigils for Troy Davis mean he’s still alive today, fighting for justice in the state of Georgia.
Now watch our new video and learn the Top 10 Words of 2008.
Take time to celebrate our successes and get ready for the challenges 2009 will bring. We can't do it without you!
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Watch The Top 10 Words of 2008 on youtube.
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