NGO Action News – 23 January 2025

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Middle East

• Many organisations published statements and articles welcoming the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza. Al Mezan considered that Israel’s closure and blockade of Gaza, illegally maintained for over 17 years and aggravated into a total siege since 9 October 2023, constituted collective punishment and served as a key driver of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding on the ground. Gisha stated that there must be accountability for crimes committed during this war to ensure that there is no repeat of violations that have occurred. Among other organisations, Al Haq, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Addameer, Al Shabaka, B’Tselem, and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network also published articles on this topic.
• On 22 January, B’Tselem published the article “2024 West Bank olive harvest: Israel furthers land grab through tighter restrictions on Palestinians and extreme state violence”, informing that Israel has employed various bureaucratic measures to prevent Palestinians from accessing their private land over the last 20 years. The article goes on to say that this was part of a broader effort to force Palestinians out of entire areas in the occupied West Bank, while expanding settlements and the territories under Israeli control. The NGO highlighted that stringent access restrictions, imposed by the Israeli Civil Administration, had made the olive harvest almost impossible in the last two years, causing serious financial losses to thousands of farmers.
• On 20 January, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights published the article “Between Cancer and Enforced Displacement: My Struggle Amid the Lack of Treatment and the Closure of Border Crossing”. This article spotlights the suffering of cancer patients in Gaza who cannot access urgent life-saving treatments and surgery due to the closure of the Rafah Crossing, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
• On 16 January, Adalah and Gisha petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court against the two new Israeli laws that seek to shut down the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The petition was filed on behalf of ten Palestine refugees who would be severely affected by the passage of the laws. The petitioners argued that the laws violate fundamental human rights and Israel’s obligations under international law, and would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and sought an urgent interim injunction to delay the implementation of the laws, which are set to go into effect on 30 January.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 21 January, Law for Palestine organised the webinar “Economic Responsibility of Third-Party States Arising from the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Palestine”. Panelists discussed how states have a duty to adopt accountability measures, including targeted sanctions for human rights violations, and to end complicity in maintaining the occupation. These responsibilities extend to enforcing corporate compliance, navigating anti-boycott laws, and leveraging investment and trade frameworks to promote justice and compliance with international norms.
• On 20 January, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement that the international community must put genuine pressure on Israel to promptly guarantee the unconditional entry of technical teams, forensic specialists, and criminal investigators into the Gaza Strip, along with the required tools. This would help Palestinians in the Strip recover the bodies of victims from beneath debris and in areas where Israeli forces invaded, identify the victims, and provide information about the whereabouts of those who have not been found.
• On 15 January, Amnesty International issued a statement calling on the international community to ensure Israel immediately allows lifesaving supplies to urgently reach all parts of the occupied Gaza Strip to ensure the survival of the Palestinian population. This should include guaranteeing the entry of vital medical supplies to treat the wounded and the sick and facilitating urgent repairs to medical facilities and other vital infrastructure. The statement further reads that Israel must also urgently grant access to independent human rights monitors into Gaza to uncover evidence and reveal the extent of violations.

North America

• On 23 January, The Jerusalem Fund will organise the webinar conversation “Ceasefire in Gaza: Challenges and Struggles Ahead”. The event will feature contributions from Hani Al Madhoun (Co-founder, Gaza Soup Kitchen), Helena Cobban (CEO, Just World Books) and Max Blumenthal (Editor in Chief, The Grayzone) who will contextualize the ceasefire agreement, discuss the struggles that Palestinians have endured throughout the war, and offer reflections on the immediate future for Gaza and the rest of the OPT.
• On 16 January, Human Rights Watch published its “World Report 2025”, which states that the Israeli military killed, wounded, starved, and forcibly displaced Palestinian civilians in Gaza in 2024, and destroyed their homes, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure at a scale unprecedented in recent history. The NGO added that all countries that provide weapons to Israel, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, should suspend weapons transfers due to the Israeli military’s repeated, unlawful attacks on civilians.
• On 16 January, the Foundation for Middle East Peace hosted the webinar “Holding Israel and the US accountable for Gaza”, in which the NGO’s 2025 Palestinian Non-residential Fellow Ahmed Moor discussed with Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, the approach of her NGO to analysing U.S. interests and policy as well as a range of mechanisms for accountability, including lawsuits regarding U.S. military support for Israel.

United Nations

• On 21 January, the UN Committee for Palestinian Rights published its monthly bulletin “Action by UN System and Intergovernmental Organizations Relevant to the Question of Palestine”, covering the month of December 2024.
• On 20 January, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made remarks during the Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The Secretary-General stated that the ceasefire and hostage release deal offered a ray of hope and urged the parties to ensure that this deal leads to the release of all hostages and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. He urged the Security Council and all Member States to support all efforts to implement this ceasefire, bring about a permanent cessation of hostilities, ensure accountability, and create the conditions for recovery and reconstruction.
• On 18 January, Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, issued a statement to inform that the United Nations system has ramped up its readiness ahead of the ceasefire in Gaza to leverage this opportunity to deliver large-scale relief, as every second counts. Mr. Hadi called upon the mediators, the parties involved, partners, community leaders, and the international community, including donors, to work together for effective and timely implementation, guided by the shared goal of saving lives and addressing people’s needs efficiently, meaningfully and in line with humanitarian principles.