On the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza – Statement by New York City Bar Association President Susan J. Kohlmann

The New York City Bar Association has previously condemned Hamas’s heinous murder and maiming of thousands of Israeli civilians and continues to call for Hamas to immediately release all hostages.

The New York City Bar Association decries the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gazan health ministry and independent experts, and because relief organizations cannot get sufficient supplies safely into Gaza, residents are starving and famine is reportedly imminent if not already underway.

We urge the Israeli government to take every measure to spare civilian lives and to allow adequate supplies of food, medicine, water and other emergency supplies to be brought safely into Gaza and distributed to civilians, and to ensure that its actions are consistent with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.