The Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC) in the Gaza Strip condemns the decision of the state of the Israeli occupation to classify (6) civil developmental organizations as terrorist organizations and are affiliated with Palestinian terrorist organizations as they claim.

UHWC affirms that this decision comes in the context of an organized and systematic campaign against Palestinian civil society institutions in connection with their role, identity and national, developmental and social vision in serving the fragile and most vulnerable groups in Palestinian society, in addition to their role in shedding light, monitoring and documenting Israeli violations against Palestinian society in the framework of readiness to prosecute the figures of the occupying state and hold them accountable in front of the international courts for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. Moreover, this decision contradicts the legal, international and humanitarian conventions and norms, as Palestinian civil society organizations are free and independent and organize their work in accordance with the Palestinian legislation and legal norms, international humanitarian work standards and relevant procedures, which guarantees its integrity, transparency and impartiality.

Union of Health Work Committees calls on all Palestinian civil society institutions and local alliances and networks to support these institutions that have been subjected to unfair military orders or classifications by the occupying power, given that these measures target all Palestinian civil society institutions, and calls for launching pressure and advocacy campaigns at all local, regional and international levels, in partnership and coordination with solidarity activists and humanitarian partners in all parts of the world to confront the occupation state’s aggression on the Palestinian people and civil society institutions.