BRUSSELS

Around 50 Belgian organizations on Friday called on the leaders of political parties Vooruit, the CD&V, and Les Engages to take immediate action in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, according to a joint statement reported by the Belga news agency.

In the open letter co-signed by prominent figures from the cultural, scientific, social, sports, and religious sectors, as well as hundreds of citizens, the signatories warned that "sterile words are worse than complicit silence" and urged the parties to "act today."

The organizations strongly condemned what they described as a "televised genocide" in Gaza, stressing that official data and international court decisions confirmed the gravity of the ongoing crimes.

They also highlighted that some Israeli human rights organizations, such as B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, have described the situation as genocide.

The statement called on the federal government to adopt concrete measures, drawing inspiration from countries such as Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Among the proposed actions were the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, a halt to the production and transit of weapons, the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, and Israel's exclusion from the SWIFT financial system.

"Three out of five parties are the majority of this government," the letter read, urging them to make a "courageous and immediate decision, even if it means provoking a government crisis."

"The fact that there are two parties in their government that deny the ongoing genocide is not our choice: it's theirs," the text said.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 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.