(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Gaza, April 8 (Petra) - The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) Sunday condemned Israel's killing of Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip last Friday during peaceful demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border.
The association, which includes more than 70 international organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a statement targeting of non-violent protestors is a violation of Palestinians' right to life, health and freedom of assembly, as well as a violation of the occupying power's obligation to provide for the well-being of the protected population under international law.
Israel as the occupying power continues to impose a decade-long illegal land, sea and air blockade on two million Palestinian; men, women and children in Gaza, causing further deterioration, decline, poverty and despair, the statement added.
With 44%, Gaza has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Its economy is almost solely surviving on international assistance and productive sectors have dramatically eroded over the past 20 years, from 27% of GDP in 1994 to 14% in 2018, according to a recent World Bank report, further compounded by a drastic reduction in funding to Palestine refugees.
Echoing the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, AIDA called for an independent and transparent investigation into the killing and injuring of civilians in the context of peaceful demonstrations, and for those responsible to be held to account. AIDA furthermore urged the international community to take action to apply pressure on Israel to lift all measures of collective punishment towards Gaza, including the blockade, and end its 50 years' long occupation.
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8/4/2018 - 11:51:07 AM
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