Dozens Of International NGOs Urge Trade Bans With Israel When Death Toll In Gaza Continues To Increase

JAKARTA - Dozens of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have urged a ban on global trade with Israel, while the death toll from aggression and hunger in the Gaza Strip continues to grow.

More than 80 international NGOs, including Oxfam and the Human Rights Association, on Monday called on countries and companies, particularly Europe, to end all forms of business transactions with Israeli colonies established in occupied Palestinian territories.

This is stated in a joint report entitled "Trafficking with Illegal Settlements: How Foreign Countries and Companies Help Israel Implement Its Illegal Settlement Policy," compiled jointly by these organizations.

The report emphasizes the continued involvement of foreign companies and institutions in activities related to settlements exacerbating the humanitarian crisis due to Israel's prolonged occupation, quoted from WAFA September 15.

The report also highlighted a number of European companies that contributed to supporting the residential economy by selling their products in Israel.

Furthermore, the report calls on countries, particularly members of the European Union and Britain, to impose a strict ban on all commercial activities or investments related to settlements, including the provision of services and financing.

They also called for financial institutions to be prohibited from providing loans to companies involved in projects in residential areas.

This report is a follow-up to a previous report submitted last July byUS Albanese, a Special Reporter for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, to the UN Human Rights Council.

Albanese's report, entitled "From the Population Economy to the Genocide Economy," reveals that foreign companies contributed to the construction of Israeli settlements through the forced transfer of Palestinians and their replacement with the population of settlers.

The UN reporter emphasized that these activities were financed by banks and insurance companies, while tourism platforms, large retail networks, and academic institutions participated in the normalization process.

Albanese emphasized that they have the authority to hold these companies accountable through their purchase options.

This call comes as the death toll from aggression and hunger in the Gaza Strip continues to grow. Medical authorities confirmed that as of Monday the death toll in the Gaza Strip had reached 64,905, the majority of women and children, since Israel's aggression began in October 2023, while at least 164,926 people were injured in the same period.

That number included 2,497 people who died and 18,182 people were injured while seeking help amid the alarming Gaza situation.

This includes the death toll from hunger and malnutrition, where the number has reached 425 people, including 145 children.