ISTANBUL

Amnesty International criticized Israel's recently announced “tactical pause” in its military operations in Gaza, describing it as “desperately insufficient” in the face of its ongoing genocide against Palestinians.

"Israel's announced ‘tactical pause’ in Gaza is desperately insufficient while it commits genocide against Palestinians, who are facing the catastrophic conditions Israel deliberately engineered,” the rights group said Monday on X.

It said the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic and accused Israel of deliberately engineering conditions that have led to mass suffering.

“There must be an immediate & sustained ceasefire, and an end to Israel’s genocide," it added.

The group emphasized that temporary pauses offer little relief to Palestinians.

“Temporary, tactical pauses while providing small respites are nowhere near enough, given the unthinkable death & suffering Palestinians in Gaza have endured for 21 months,” it said.

Amnesty also called for the immediate lifting of all restrictions on aid and movement into and across the Gaza Strip, demanding the full restoration of the UN-led humanitarian aid system and the dismantling of Israel’s “weaponized aid” model.

“We must restore the pre-existing UN-led humanitarian aid system & dismantle the disastrous, cruel model of weaponized aid imposed by Israel,” the group said.

Calling on the international community to act, Amnesty said “the international community has a moral & legal obligation to act decisively against the killing & starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The organization urged Israel to fully comply with international law, including by opening all border crossings for sustained humanitarian access and ending “unlawful military operations.”

“Palestinians must have justice & dignity. No parent should endure the cries of their starving children. No child should die of hunger,” it said.

Amnesty concluded by warning that the world must not continue turning a blind eye to the destruction in Gaza.

“The massive destruction of essential infrastructure, collective punishment, & genocidal acts to physically destroy Palestinians in Gaza are grave violations of international law...and cannot be addressed either by Israel’s hackneyed promises or states’ empty condemnations.”

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.