NGO Action News – 19 September 2024

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

You may find previous issues of the NGO Action News in Spanish here.  

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in French here. 

You may find issues of the NGO Action News in Arabic here.

Middle East

• On 17 September, Al Haq, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan called on UN Member States to support General Assembly Draft resolution A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1 aimed at ending Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The resolution follows the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) issuance of its Advisory Opinion “Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”. The resolution calls upon states to undertake efforts towards bringing an end to Israel’s systemic discrimination against Palestinians, in what according to the ICJ constitutes a breach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. In addition, 34 civil society organisations from around the world, including Amnesty International, issued a press release on this issue as well.
• On 16 September, 7amleh published a new report “Palestinian Digital Rights, Genocide, and Big Tech Accountability”. This document highlights the extensive use of technology in committing and exacerbating human rights violations, both by the Israeli government, which has utilised artificial intelligence to target Palestinians, and by tech companies, which have played a significant role in facilitating censorship, withholding information, and indirectly contributing to the efforts of the Israeli government in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.
• On 13 September, Al Mezan issued a press release “Field Report: 11 September 2024 attack on UNRWA school in al-Nuseirat refugee camp”. The NGO reported on the bombing of a UNRWA school in Gaza that caused severe damage to the building and killed 16 Palestinians, including 4 children and 6 UNRWA staff members; 25 others were injured, including several children and women.
• On 12 September, Ir Amim published the policy paper “Forced Evictions as a Lever of Palestinian Displacement in East Jerusalem”. The document informs about how evictions of Palestinian families and takeovers of their homes by Israeli settlers have increasingly been used as a strategy to cement Israeli hegemony over the area of the Old City and its surrounding neighbourhoods, known as the Old City Basin, in East Jerusalem.
• On 11 September, Gisha published the update “Gaza Now: Current facts and figures”. The report includes recent updates on the impact of Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, as well as a chronological review of the deterioration of the situation in the areas of access to electricity and fuel, the spread of hunger, the availability of water and sanitation services, and aid access.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 16 September, the Norwegian Refugee Council published a press release from 15 aid organizations alerting that new data haв revealed the scale of aid obstruction, and the consequential drastic fall in aid entering Gaza, as Israel’s siege now blocks 83% of food aid destined for This is driving a humanitarian disaster, with the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease, and almost half a million are at risk of starvation. The NGOs also reported that a record low average of 69 aid trucks per day entered Gaza in August 2024, compared to 500 per working day last year, which was already not enough to meet people’s needs.
• On 16 September, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) circulated a brief to United Kingdom (UK) Members of Parliament, drawing their attention to the Israeli attack in the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Zone, which took place on 11 September. The attack resulted in the deaths of 40 civilians and left behind vast craters. The NGO called on UK and European MPs to press their respective governments for decisive action, including ending arms trade with Israel.

North America

• On 18 September, Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) published the webinar “Palestine in the 2024 US Elections”. In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, Lara Friedman and Rania Batrice discussed Palestine as one of the potentially defining issues of the 2024 US elections.
• On 13 September, Human Rights Watch published an article on the database maintained by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of businesses involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The NGO regretted that this database was not regularly updated, especially after the recent ICJ ruling that found that Israel’s whole occupation in the West Bank was illegal. Human Rights Watch added that businesses should not enable, facilitate, or profit from serious violations of international law.
• On 11 September, 31 international NGOs issued a joint statement calling on all UN Member States to take urgent steps to protect people deprived of their liberty across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. This includes demanding that the International Committee of the Red Cross be granted immediate and unfettered access to all detainees and hostages, to the full extent required by international humanitarian law. Full access should also be granted for independent human rights monitors, legal counsel and family members.

United Nations

• On 18 September, the Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee issued a statement welcoming the adoption of General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-10/24 to implement the landmark ICJ Advisory Opinion. The resolution reaffirms that “Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and calls for “the end of Israel’s occupation within 12 months from the adoption of this resolution”. The Committee Bureau urged all Member States and international organizations to uphold their responsibilities under this resolution, ensuring accountability and promoting the path towards peace and justice.
• On 17 September, the UN Division for Palestinian Rights published a Bulletin on action by the United Nations system and Intergovernmental Organizations relevant to the Question of Palestine, covering the month of August 2024.
• On 16 September, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, briefed the Security Council, alerting that more than 41,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the current war, and over 93,000 injured. Recent data from the World Health Organization estimated that more than 22,000 people had sustained life-altering injuries. The health infrastructure, already crippled, had been further decimated and at least 625,000 children remained out of school. Ms. Kaag added that humanitarian assistance was only a temporary pathway to alleviate suffering. A comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East could only be realized through a two-State solution and the achievement of an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable, and sovereign Palestinian State, living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders with Israel, whose legitimate security concerns must be addressed.