Sanctions Required to Protect Gaza’s Innocents

I am writing to draw urgent attention to the recent and ongoing atrocities in Gaza, specifically the targeting of children and educational institutions. An Israeli airstrike on the Abdel-Fattah Hamoud school killed more than eight members of the same family, including five children and their parents. The youngest killed in Israel’s bombing was an 18-month-old infant. One little girl was burned beyond recognition, while another’s flesh melted from her body. Israel’s continued targeting of civilian infrastructure turns homes and places of refuge into sites of terror and devastation. Over the past eight months, over 14,000 children have been killed by Israel, with 21,000 estimated missing. These children will be buried under rubble, abducted and detained by Israeli forces, or brutally killed beyond identification. The deliberate destruction of educational facilities is a direct assault on the future of Gaza’s children, robbing them of their right to education and a safe learning environment. 85% of educational facilities in the Gaza Strip are non-operational due to deliberate targeting by Israeli forces, with more than 476 schools damaged or destroyed. The widespread destruction of schools has deprived the right to education to 800,000 Palestinian children. This is a direct violation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The bombing of schools, alongside other civilian infrastructure, severely limits access to essential services. Without schools, children lose not only their educational opportunities but also the sense of normalcy and stability that education provides. These deliberate actions eradicate life in Gaza by targeting its most vulnerable population—its children—ensuring that no future generations can survive and flourish. I urge you to take immediate action to protect civilian lives in Gaza through an immediate ceasefire enforced by sanctions on the Israeli state, including an arms embargo. I call on you to also unequivocally support the prosecution of all perpetrators of war crimes and breaches of international law. The international community must intervene to provide humanitarian aid and guarantee unimpeded access. Essential infrastructure, including educational and medical facilities, must be rebuilt. Only through urgent and decisive action can we hope to prevent further suffering and ensure a future for Gaza’s children. Sources: ABC News, Al Jazeera, EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, Middle East Monitor, Save the Children, UNICEF