The Director of Integral Human Development for Caritas Internationalis explains that the organization’s statement used strong words to call for an end to violence and promote the protection of human rights both in the region and around the world.
By Kielce Gussie
On 25 August, Caritas Internationalis issued a strongly worded statement responding to the “man-made famine and assault on Gaza City.”
In an interview with Vatican New’s Xavier Sartre, the Director of Integral Human Development at Caritas Internationalis, Victor Genina, explains the strong words the organization used and denounces the famine affecting hundreds of thousands.
Civilians are bearing the brunt
After back-to-back hits on Gaza City—on 20 August, Israeli troops stormed the city and two days later the United Nations officially declared a famine in the enclave—Genina says the Caritas statement wanted to respond to these worsening conditions for the civilian population.
“More than 250 children have died of starvation,” he highlights, which is why Caritas wants “this to reach an end. And we call the authorities involved in this to put an end to the deliberate attack on civilians and health personnel.”
As the death toll for civilians reaches more than 60,000—including more than 200 journalists and over 180 humanitarian workers, Caritas’ statement calls out the “deliberate famine that the authorities have inflicted on the civilian population”. Moreover, Genina stresses that the military’s destruction of all the basic infrastructure makes life almost impossible for people in the enclave.
But the Director does not stop there. He explains Caritas also denounces “vehemently” the plans to move “more than 1,000,000 of civilians in a concentration camp in the south of the Strip, without any humanitarian acceptable minimum conditions.”
One goal shared by all: lasting peace
Genina underlines Caritas’ main goal is one shared by others: lasting peace. Going further, he shares that the organization wants to see the cycle of hatred and violence between communities broken.
He explains “that is why we look for the respect of all civilians and why we have demanded the release of all Israeli hostages as well as the release of all Palestinians who have been detained arbitrarily.”
More than half a million people are facing a famine in the Gaza Strip and thousands more are in desperate need of other supplies and medical care. Consequently, Genina says the Caritas statement expresses vehemently the demand for access to humanitarian aid from the UN and other organizations to treat the sick and injured and provide food to the starving.
Peace but also justice
Clarifying Caritas Internationalis’ statement, the Director highlights the organization’s demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire “as well as the full respect of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice from July last year, which calls for the end of the illegal occupation.”
Caritas is very concerned about respect for international law and the protection of human rights, he stresses, and the effects of this will “bring not only for the region, but for the entire world and the future of international relations.”
Genina explains how important it is to see the big picture and focus on the long-term impact of the current situation. “The complete disregard of the international frameworks of justice will most probably bring much more violence…and that is why we are very concerned about the situation.”
