Every state and territory across Australia shone bright with the demand for an immediate ceasefire last night, as Save the Children Australia, in collaboration with other Australian humanitarian and human rights organisations, unions, and peace activists projected the words “Ceasefire Now’’ across multiple locations across the country.
The projections, which appeared last night in every capital city as well as Alice Springs, were done in solidarity with similar actions being carried out around the world.
Other planned actions include a “die-in” in France, candlelight vigils at the White House and across the United States and Canada, and every digital billboard in Amman, Jordan, projecting “CeasefireNow” simultaneously.
The horrific scale of hostilities in Gaza so far shows that without a definitive ceasefire, children will continue to be killed and maimed indiscriminately, while the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip by the Government of Israel carries the consequence of starving the civilian population, which may represent a violation of international humanitarian law and constitute a war crime.
More than 19,000 people, including at least 8,000 children, have been killed according to the Government Media Office in Gaza, while 1.9 million people - or about 85 per cent of the population - have been displaced from their homes.
Save the Children welcomed the Australian Governments’ decision to join 152 other countries at the United Nations General Assembly last week in voting in favour of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler said the sheer number of children killed in Gaza in the last two months is simply unconscionable and appealed to our shared humanity to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
“More than 8,000 children have been killed, while tens of thousands more have been left seriously injured with some even having to be operated on without anaesthetic,” said Mr Tinkler.
“If the fear of being hit by an Israeli airstrike isn’t bad enough, children are also now facing widespread hunger and risks of disease, which if left untreated could kill many more children.
“Australia sent a strong message last week by joining an overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations General Assembly in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire but sadly, the attacks on children and their families have continued.
“We hope that yesterday’s Global Day of Action demonstrates to the Australian Government that this issue is not going away, and neither will the millions of Australians who sympathise deeply with all the children who have been so horribly impacted by this war and who expect their government to do everything it can to end it.
“Violence against civilians, including children, is completely unjustifiable and pressure must be maintained to ensure adherence to international law, the implementation of an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages immediately and unconditionally, and the free flow of adequate, unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Save the Children Australia signed onto a Global Day of Action solidarity statement alongside a number of organisations, including Amnesty International Australia, Oxfam Australia and APHEDA.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: Mala Darmadi on 0425562113 or media.team@savethechildren.org.au.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Multimedia content can be accessed here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7o09hsv0sd0wfhn3tx5od/h?rlkey=f7xlmx10cnm4pt16zefqedy17&dl=0.