JERUSALEM / PNN /
Human Rights Watch said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recently announced “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” is no substitute for urgent, concrete measures by governments to protect civilians and ensure justice after two years of grave abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Trump unveiled the 20-point proposal on September 29, 2025, but the rights organization said it fails to address human rights violations or accountability for serious crimes committed since the October 7, 2023, attacks. Human Rights Watch called on governments to impose arms embargoes, targeted sanctions, and support investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) regardless of whether Trump’s initiative moves forward.
“The two years since October 7, 2023, have brought a seemingly endless stream of atrocities against civilians for which there has been no letup or justice,” said Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine director. “Governments should not wait for the adoption of Trump’s or any other plan to take action to prevent further harm to those most at risk.”
The organization said both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups have committed serious violations of international law, leaving tens of thousands dead, wounded, or displaced, and entire communities destroyed.
During the October 7 attacks, Hamas and other Palestinian fighters killed hundreds of civilians in southern Israel and took scores of hostages, many of whom remain captive. A July 2024 Human Rights Watch report concluded that Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and unlawful imprisonment.
Human Rights Watch urged countries with influence over Hamas and other groups to press for the immediate and unconditional release of civilian hostages.
In Gaza, Israeli military operations have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians—most of them civilians—and reduced much of the enclave to rubble. The group accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, displacing nearly the entire population multiple times, and systematically targeting civilian infrastructure including homes, hospitals, and schools.
The rights organization said Israeli actions in Gaza amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potentially genocide, in defiance of binding orders by the International Court of Justice.
In the occupied West Bank, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed or injured, thousands detained—many without charge—and tens of thousands displaced, mostly by Israeli forces and settlers.
The scale of destruction in Gaza and the pattern of attacks have demonstrated the Israeli government’s contempt for its obligations under international law,” Human Rights Watch said, adding that the erosion of global accountability standards threatens civilians in conflicts worldwide.
The group urged all governments to act to prevent further atrocities and uphold international human rights norms.
Among its recommendations HRW call to Press Israel to lift unlawful restrictions on aid entering Gaza.
Demand that Hamas and other armed groups release all civilian hostages.
Suspend arms sales to both Israel and Palestinian armed groups.
Impose targeted sanctions on officials implicated in serious abuses and End trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
HRW call all governments to support the ICC and reject efforts to obstruct its work.
The Human Right Organization end its statement s “Decades of so-called peace processes have shown the folly of relying solely on political plans while abuses continue unchecked,” Shakir said. “Governments urgently need to take concrete action to protect Gaza’s two million Palestinians and the Israeli hostages.”
Source link
#Rights #Group #Urges #Global #Action #Stop #Ongoing #Atrocities #Years #October
