TEHRAN – Ali Salajeqeh, the head of the Department of Environment, in a letter to his counterparts in Islamic countries, called for preventing the Zionist regime from further destruction of the environment in Gaza.

“Since the beginning of the massive attacks of the Zionist regime on the oppressed Gaza last month, all forms of life, including vegetation, animals, and humans, have been exposed to destruction as a result of crimes against humanity.

However, the international community has failed to react properly to environmental harm being carried out in the Gaza Strip,” Mehr quoted Salajeqeh as saying.

“The results and environmental consequences of the Gaza war will be determined in the region in the coming years. In this regard, the human right to water and sewage treatment are principles that acknowledge access to clean and hygienic drinking water is essential in everyone's life,” he added.

The domination of the Zionist regime over parts of West Asia has made the people of the region, especially the Palestinians, face challenges in accessing sufficient and safe water.

Moreover, the occurrence of war the use of chemical weapons and bombs, and the heavy bombardment have complicated the environmental conditions in Gaza and human societies, and the principle of access to clean and safe as an internationally recognized human right has been violated by the Zionist regime.

Everyone knows that the Zionist regime not only deprives its neighboring countries of water and the environment but also denies Palestinians the right to have access to water sources. This regime is trying to limit the access to water for Palestinians.

Despite all efforts, the regime has deprived the residents of these areas of all their human and humanitarian rights, including environmental rights and basic human rights, with heavy attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during the current war.

In this regard, Islamic countries are expected to take fundamental steps in condemning environmental crimes with synergy and collective effort.

Human Rights violation in Gaza

The current conflict in Palestine stands as the utmost priority for both the Islamic world and the global community. The challenges faced by the Palestinian people, coupled with the oppression imposed by the Zionist regime, resonate across the international community, transcending religious, ideological, or national affiliations.

Despite decades of international attention and over half a century of Zionist occupation, this issue remains unresolved.

The United Nations and its affiliated bodies such as the Human Rights Commission, the current Human Rights Council, the International Court of Justice, the Red Cross, and Amnesty International have repeatedly expressed their views on events in this region. Multiple resolutions have been adopted by the General Assembly and Security Council. Unfortunately, these warnings and resolutions have been unable to prevent continued violations and actions of the Zionist regime that contradict international norms and rights.

Over the past four decades, the Israeli regime has engaged in numerous wars, prolonged occupation, displacement of populations, the establishment of Jewish settlements, usurpation, and confiscation of lands, mass killings, merciless massacres, assassinations, torture, imprisonment, construction of separation walls, collective punishments, and consistent violations of human rights.

This apartheid regime consistently ignores international human rights conventions, which have evolved into fundamental international rights, as acknowledged by jurists worldwide. For instance, a legal report submitted to the Human Rights Council (November 29, 2000), characterized the human rights situation in the occupied territories as tragic. The report explicitly stated that Israeli forces deployed an excessive amount of military force, disproportionate to the level of danger faced.

The actions by the Israeli regime in recent decades indicate a clear disregard for the four Geneva Conventions, additional protocols of 1977, and customary human rights. Due to extrajudicial activities in violation of their rights, the Palestinians have been unable to enjoy their basic rights, including self-determination.

Islamic nations condemn Israel's inhumane attacks

On October 20, environment ministers attending the ninth conference of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in a declaration condemned Israel for inhumane and brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the conference was held on October 19.

Israel's military escalation in the occupied Palestinian territory resulted in a large number of civilian casualties as well as the destruction of the environment and necessities of life by targeting hospitals, educational, cultural, and scientific institutions, and infrastructure, and imposing a complete siege of the Strip, the statement reads.

MT/MG