Gaza, Human Rights and Our Shared Responsibility

When Humanity Is Put to the Test

Why is this issue ethically so important? Few armed conflicts of our time have challenged our understanding of humanity, justice and responsibility as profoundly as the events unfolding in the Gaza Strip. For some, the primary concern is a state's right to self-defence. For others, it is the immeasurable suffering endured by the civilian population.

This article does not seek to take sides politically, nor does it claim to explain or judge the conflict in its entirety. Its central purpose is to explore the ethical questions that arise when large parts of a civilian population are affected by violence, displacement and hunger, and to consider the responsibilities of states, international institutions and all of us as members of a global society.

Rather than offering definitive answers, this article invites readers to reflect on universal principles: human dignity, the protection of civilians, responsibility and justice.

The Humanitarian Situation

Since 7 October 2023, the situation in the Gaza Strip has developed into one of the most severe humanitarian crises of our time.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, whose casualty figures are regularly documented by the United Nations, more than 56,000 people had been killed and over 130,000 injured by June 2026. A significant proportion of the victims are civilians, including many children.

The United Nations reports repeated mass displacement. A large share of the population has been forced to flee multiple times, while extensive areas have become temporarily uninhabitable. Residential neighbourhoods, hospitals, schools and essential infrastructure have been extensively damaged or destroyed. Access to food, clean water, medical care and safe shelter remains severely restricted.

International expert bodies such as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) continue to warn of an extremely critical food security situation with a high risk of acute famine. Children, older people and persons with disabilities are among those most severely affected.

Humanitarian workers have also paid a devastating price. According to the United Nations, this conflict has become one of the deadliest ever recorded for humanitarian personnel in UN history.

Based on verifiable information published by the United Nations, UNICEF and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as of June 2026, the following findings are well documented:

• According to UNICEF, no hospital in Gaza is fully operational; only 14 of the 36 hospitals remain even partially functional.

• Only around 1% of primary healthcare centres are fully operational.

• By November 2025, more than 20,600 children had reportedly been killed. Around 44,000 children had been injured, including more than 11,000 who suffered life-changing injuries such as amputations.

• Approximately 97.5% of schools have been damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without regular education for an extended period.

• Around three million people lack reliable access to safe drinking water.

• OCHA continues to report severe restrictions on humanitarian access and documents ongoing obstacles affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Behind every number is a human being. A family. A story. Statistics help us understand the scale of a catastrophe, but they can never fully capture the grief of losing a loved one, the fear experienced by a family, or the future that has been irreversibly taken away from countless children.

What Does International Humanitarian Law Say?

Even armed conflicts have legal and moral limits. The Geneva Conventions require all parties to a conflict to protect civilians, respect medical facilities and humanitarian personnel, allow humanitarian assistance, avoid disproportionate attacks, and prohibit the use of starvation as a method of warfare. These rules apply regardless of political or military interests. Even during armed conflict, human dignity remains protected under international law. The State of Israel is also a party to these Conventions.

The international community has established institutions to examine allegations of serious violations of international law. Two of the most important are the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), both located in The Hague, Netherlands. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures in the case South Africa v. Israel. The Court concluded that South Africa's claim under the Genocide Convention was plausible and ordered Israel to take measures to protect the civilian population and to facilitate humanitarian assistance. A final ruling on whether genocide has occurred has not yet been made. Several states have since joined the proceedings. Human rights organisations and UN-affiliated bodies argue that, in their assessment, the provisional measures have not been fully implemented. Israel rejects these assessments. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including allegations relating to the use of starvation as a method of warfare and attacks against civilians. These arrest warrants do not constitute a conviction. Any determination of guilt or innocence can only be made through future judicial proceedings. Israel does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC.

These legal proceedings demonstrate that the allegations are regarded as matters of significant international legal concern and are therefore subject to judicial examination. Yet justice often moves slowly—far too slowly for those whose lives are at stake.

Beyond the ongoing court proceedings, numerous international organisations continue to document the humanitarian situation and investigate possible violations of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International has reported serious violations of international humanitarian law and is investigating alleged war crimes committed in the context of the conflict.

Human Rights Watch has likewise documented alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and continues to call for accountability.

Organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Oxfam and Save the Children describe the humanitarian situation as catastrophic and warn of its long-term consequences for the civilian population.

The Ethical Questions

Ethical reflection does not mean taking the side of one party in a conflict.

Its primary purpose is to ask the right questions and to encourage us to seek answers—and to act upon them.

It means applying universal principles such as human dignity, the protection of civilians and responsibility even in situations where the answers are uncomfortable or politically difficult.

We have an ethical responsibility to look closely, to ask questions and not to turn away.

Conflicts are often perceived as distant political events.

Ethical questions, however, know no borders.

They challenge us to ask which values we truly regard as universal—and whether those values apply equally to every human being or only to those who are geographically, culturally or politically closer to us.

Empathy does not require us to adopt another person's political position.

Empathy means recognising that every human life has equal value.

Against this background, humanitarian assistance itself becomes an ethical test.

It invites us to reflect on questions such as:

Can military objectives ever justify the suffering of large parts of a civilian population?

What responsibility does the international community bear when humanitarian aid fails to reach those in need, even though relief supplies exist, international organisations repeatedly report restrictions on access, and widespread hunger together with the collapse of medical services has been extensively documented?

If it is known that people are dying because they lack food, clean water and medical care—even though life-saving assistance is available—what responsibility rests with those who control access to that assistance?

Can withholding life-saving humanitarian aid ever be reconciled with the principles of human dignity and international humanitarian law?

What responsibility does the international community bear if it documents these developments but proves unable to ensure effective protection for the civilian population?

What is the value of international courts if their decisions are implemented only partially—or not at all?

Can lasting security ever be achieved if entire generations grow up shaped by loss, trauma and displacement?

What responsibility do we, as members of a global society, bear toward suffering that may be geographically distant but can never be morally distant? There are no simple answers to these questions.

This conflict in Gaza must not be understood as a conflict between Jews and Muslims. Nor is it a conflict between all Israelis and all Palestinians. On one side stands the State of Israel, acting through its government and armed forces. On the other side is the terrorist organisation Hamas, which carried out the attack of 7 October 2023 and is designated as a terrorist organisation by numerous states.

The primary victims of this conflict are millions of civilians – Palestinian as well as Israeli.

All parties argue that they have legitimate claims, whatever those claims may be. From an ethical perspective, it is therefore important to try to understand every party involved and to approach them with the greatest possible openness and tolerance, so that none of them can continue to argue why the conflict supposedly cannot be ended. What might such an approach look like?

Reflection and Shaping the Future Together

ETICANIA does not invite quick judgments, but rather a shared process of reflection and collaboration on what should unite us as human beings: dignity, responsibility and the value of every individual life. We therefore welcome every thoughtful and well-reasoned comment. We believe that genuine responsibility begins where we are willing to take the perspectives of others seriously, even when they differ from our own. Through the Creative Campus, ETICANIA is creating a global space in which the already existing Ethical Constitution can not only be discussed, but also applied, tested and further developed as a common framework for decision-making in complex ethical situations. Peace does not begin only when violence ends. It begins much earlier – in the way we think and relate to one another today.

 Note

Unless otherwise stated, all information presented in this article is based on data published by international organizations and institutions and reflects the situation as of June 2026.

References

International Court of Justice. (2024). Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel): Order on provisional measures. https://www.icj-cij.org

International Criminal Court. (2024). Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issues warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. https://www.icc-cpi.int

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). (2026). Gaza food security analysis reports. https://www.ipcinfo.org

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). (2026). Occupied Palestinian Territory: Humanitarian updates. https://www.unocha.org

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). (2026). Situation reports: Gaza Strip. https://www.unrwa.org

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2026). Press releases and updates on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. https://www.ohchr.org

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). (1949). Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols. https://www.icrc.org

Amnesty International. (2024–2026). Israel/OPT reports and updates. https://www.amnesty.org

Human Rights Watch. (2024–2026). Israel/Palestine reports and updates. https://www.hrw.org

Médecins Sans Frontières. (2024–2026). Gaza emergency updates. https://www.msf.org

Oxfam. (2024–2026). Occupied Palestinian Territory humanitarian reports. https://www.oxfam.org

Save the Children. (2024–2026). Gaza child protection and humanitarian reports. https://www.savethechildren.net