Islamic Relief Canada condemns the actions of the Israeli military over the last two days in what has been the largest attack on the occupied West Bank in 20 years. Soldiers, fighter jets, and drones have attacked Palestinians in West Bank areas of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas leaving a trail of death and destruction.
The Israeli attack on the illegally occupied West Bank is a violation of international humanitarian law.
Israeli government announcements that civilians should evacuate from areas of the West Bank alongside comments by Israeli authorities calling for an emulation of the same tactics that have been employed in Gaza for the last 10 months suggest a concerning and unacceptable direction of travel by the Israeli government. This could generate an unthinkable expansion of suffering across Palestine.
The ongoing Israeli siege in Gaza, taken together with these attacks on the West Bank and airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, signal an alarming expansion of the inhumane violence we have seen in Gaza and across the region.
As humanitarian actors we call for an end to Israel's bombardment and attacks in Gaza, the illegally occupied West Bank, and Lebanon. The Canadian and international community is obliged to step up pressure on Israel to prevent the further escalation of attacks and the ongoing collective punishment of civilians.