STRASBOURG (Palestine Foundation Information Center)The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved a motion on Wednesday calling for an immediate end to the humanitarian crisis affecting Palestinian children and women, in particular, in the Gaza Strip.
This came in the winter plenary session of the PACE taking place in the French City of Strasbourg from 27 to 31 January.
The motion was adopted with 90 votes in favor, 18 against, and 14 abstentions.
“The military campaign launched by Israel in Gaza in response to the attack on 7 October continued for fifteen months, causing an unimaginable humanitarian crisis,” the Assembly said, adding that “women and children are without any shadow of doubt the main innocent victims of the conflict.”
The Assembly called on the Council of Europe member states and the parties to the conflict to play an active role in addressing the humanitarian emergency in Gaza and its future consequences.
“The Assembly cannot accept that this humanitarian crisis could be portrayed or seen as inevitable or be allowed to become the new normal,” the Assembly said in its resolution.
The Assembly also urged the immediate and unconditional repeal of the ban on UNRWA imposed by Israel, as well as full, rapid and safe access to Gaza for humanitarian organizations and local and foreign journalists.
PACE welcomed the conclusion of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, describing the implementation of its first phase as “a crucial and positive step forward,” and called on all parties to implement all three phases, leading to a long-lasting peace.
