Ceasefire façade

A ceasefire under which children continue to be slaughtered is an affront to humanity and a mockery of international diplomacy. More than 340 Palestinian children have reportedly been killed in Gaza since the cessation of hostilities was announced over a year ago. Hundreds more have been wounded, some permanently maimed. That Israeli strikes and gunfire continue to claim innocent lives while the world speaks of peace is a disgrace that should weigh heavily on the conscience of every government that endorsed the agreement.

Israel's continued military aggression has rendered the ceasefire little more than a diplomatic facade. Its repeated invocation of security concerns cannot justify the killing of children or diminish its obligations under international humanitarian law. The very idea that a ceasefire can coexist with the routine killing of civilians exposes the dangerous double standards governing the treatment of Palestinian lives. Particularly disturbing is UNICEF's finding that nearly half of the children reportedly killed since the truce have died near the so-called Yellow Line demarcating Israel's military presence. A boundary drawn on a military map cannot become a licence to kill. Nor can the alleged violations of a ceasefire by one party provide the other with immunity from accountability. Equally reprehensible is the international community's willingness to tolerate this continuing brutality. The powers that brokered and celebrated the ceasefire cannot absolve themselves of responsibility merely because an agreement was signed.

What is required is sustained diplomatic pressure and credible consequences for violations of international law. Above all, Israel must be compelled to cease unlawful attacks and permit the unrestricted delivery of essential humanitarian assistance. The world cannot continue congratulating itself on a peace process that has left Palestinian children exposed to death and deprivation.