Statement by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty
on the The International Day of Peace, 21 September 2025

We are feeling ashamed for humanity that the incredible suffering of the people in Gaza – including continued killings and famine – was not stopped by the international community.

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) calls for an immediate end to the attacks of Gaza by Israel. We urgently call for a united global response to the ongoing grave and systematic violations of international law and human rights. Thousands of people in Israel demand from their government to end the war and to find a solution to get the hostages free. Israel’s government has only a few remaining international supporters – particularly the USA and some European partners. They bear the responsibility to force the Israeli government to end the war.

We call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas and respect for the human rights of every person in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, including the right to life, free from want or fear, with full access to food, water, education and healthcare. A lasting political solution that ensures peace and security for all — based on justice, international law and human rights, including the right to self-determination — is the only way forward.

Since October 2023, over 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed  in Gaza, with more than 100,000 injured. More than two million people have been displaced, enduring famine, blocked humanitarian aid, and the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals. The West Bank has also seen escalating violence, including home demolitions, land confiscations, and settler attacks, all in violation of international law.

From the beginning of this war, we clearly condemned Hamas’ brutal massacre of more than 1200 people on 7 October 2023, the rocket attacks on Israel and Hamas’ abduction of 240 people. These are crimes against humanity. However, these acts by Hamas by no means justify the systematic collective punishment of the Palestinian people by Israel. 

As we stated earlier, the bombing and killing by the Israeli army in Gaza are crimes against humanity. Like others including scholars and NGOs from Israel and now a UN report we concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The International Criminal Court must finally judge – but it might take two years. The international community has the obligation to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide now. Courts of law are the venues for war crimes including genocide to be prosecuted, not the battlefield.

All parties to a conflict have a legal obligation to uphold international humanitarian law and human rights — including children and women’s rights. Women are at higher risk of exploitation and gender-based violence amidst conflict, while children constitute an estimated 40 percent of all deaths in Gaza since the beginning of the war.

At a time when emotions run high, and rhetoric is amplified by politicians and social media channels, it is important to recognise that support for Palestinian rights and self-determination is not antisemitic. At the same time, antisemitism and islamophobia are on the rise; neither can be accepted or allowed to triumph.

Our Demands

1. Israel must stop its attacks on Gaza immediately. All governments must force Israel to stop the offensive and attacks in general.
2. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
3. The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas.
4. End the blockade of Gaza and Creation of humanitarian corridors in Gaza
5. Give visa to representatives of the Palestinian Authority to participate in the UN General Assembly in New York
6. End of attacks of Israel on other countries as recently on Qatar and end attacks on Israel as from the Houthis in Yemen.
7. End the power of Hamas and demilitarize Hamas
8. Stop selling arms to Israel that can be used in Gaza and the West Bank
9. A lasting Political Solution: accelerate reconciliation and implement a path to a two-state solution
10. Strict compliance with international humanitarian law and respect for the human rights of every person in Gaza and the West Bank including the right to live in a safe environment, free from want or fear, with full access to food, water, education and healthcare.
11. Investigate and prosecute war crimes in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel in the International Criminal Court
12. Stop criminalization of peaceful Palestine solidarity movements for demanding an end to genocide and illegal occupation, and calling for justice and the right of self-determination for Palestinian people

GCAP calls on the international community — including the United Nations, governments and civil society — to do everything to end the war for the people of Gaza and to end this shame of humanity.