Statement by the governing team on the announcement of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
On 8 October, Israel launched an assault on the territory of the Gaza Strip, which has since resulted in the killing of more than 46,000 people. Of these, 17,000 are children, more than 250 are UN volunteers working with refugees in the aftermath of the conflict, and more than 125 are journalists. More than 110,000 people were injured, more than 160,000 buildings were destroyed, and more than 1.9 million people have been displaced, almost all of them inhabitants of the Strip. The International Court of Justice warned that evidence of serious violations of international law (such as disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks, arbitrary displacement of people, sexual violence, widespread hunger, among many others) created a real and imminent risk of irreparable harm to the Palestinian population’s right to be protected from genocide.
This situation takes place in a context of long-standing conflict and violations of international and humanitarian law. According to the analyses and resolutions issued by international institutions and human rights organizations, recognized by the International Court of Justice, the Palestinian population living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank suffers a situation of discrimination, occupation of their territory and racial segregation or apartheid that has been sustained for decades.
This situation has caused great suffering among the civilian population and permanent instability in the region. The events that have occurred since autumn 2023 have aggravated this situation by endangering the survival of the Palestinian people and pushing the whole of the territory, including the surrounding countries, into a scenario of instability and risk of war, with incalculable consequences.
Regarding this situation, the announcement by the Israeli government and Hamas representatives of an agreement on a six-week ceasefire represents a first step towards halting the current violence. It is a necessary condition that should make it possible not only to resolve the current situation, but also to make progress in resolving the structural conditions that have caused so much damage for so long. For this reason, the governing team of the University of Barcelona, in coherence with the defence of the university values that define our institution, wishes to express that this new scenario must allow:
- To ensure an immediate cessation of hostilities and guarantee the safety of the civilian population, as well as the compliance with UN resolutions and the measures established by the International Court of Justice for Gaza and Israel.
- To move towards the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted in Gaza, with thousands of Palestinians arbitrarily detained in Israel, and clarification about those forcibly disappeared.
- To facilitate the immediate and unconditional return of the bodies of all those who died as a result of this conflict, as well as the intervention of the international community to facilitate the search, identification and return of the bodies to the affected families.
- To enable the removal of the barriers that have prevented access to the humanitarian aid necessary to guarantee a minimum of well-being and human dignity to the victims of the conflict, now displaced and in a refugee situation, as well as their return home.
- To activate a plan, driven by the international community, to rebuild the territory after a year of massive destruction, which has resulted in tens of millions of tonnes of ruins and the destruction of almost all critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and universities.
- To halt all trade, especially in war material, that could contribute to an eventual return to the war strategy that the Israeli government has pursued since October 2023.
- To clarify all violations of international humanitarian law, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity detected since October 2023, and promote appropriate legal action to ensure accountability and conviction of all those responsible for these situations.
- To encourage the creation of the political and social conditions necessary for the definitive resolution of the conflict, the return of the occupied territories and the definition of an appropriate territorial and institutional framework for Palestinian and Israeli citizenship.
The University of Barcelona’s governing stands up for peace and the defence of human rights and democratic values. These commitments are set out in the agreements reached by the Governing Council and the Governing Board. We hope that this ceasefire is the first step towards a new scenario of peace and coexistence in the region. We continue working with the scientific and university authorities in the region to ensure that, in the scenario that the ceasefire that has now been announced provides a glimpse of, they can resume their activities with full guarantees and as soon as possible.<