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The current wide-scale Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip (October 2023) stands as the most brutal, bloody, and destructive in terms of both scale and nature. The sheer volume of devastation, the high number of civilian martyrs—especially women, children, and the elderly—along with the overwhelming number of injuries, and Israel’s blatant disregard for humanitarian laws and international conventions, have made this aggression particularly horrific.
Palestinian civilians are facing massive human rights violations by Israel, with statements indicating genocide, forced displacement, and indiscriminate, intense bombing targeting civilian infrastructure. Even the Palestinian Contractors Union headquarters was not spared. Entire residential buildings have been leveled to the ground, public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and roads have been destroyed, the healthcare and sanitation systems have collapsed, and the infrastructure has been extensively damaged. Entire neighborhoods have been obliterated, displacing their residents into the unknown.
Round-the-clock coverage by international news channels shows heartbreaking scenes—bodies of martyrs lying in the streets and under rubble, hospital courtyards overflowing with thousands of wounded, patients being treated on floors due to the lack of beds, and overburdened operating rooms. To worsen the situation, Israel imposed a full blockade, cutting off vital services—electricity supplies ceased after Gaza’s only power station shut down, water and fuel supplies were cut, and food entry was banned, causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and the mass displacement of over half a million people from northern Gaza to the south—an act considered a crime against humanity affecting over 2.5 million people.
According to reports from news agencies, as of the writing of this memorandum, Israeli airstrikes have damaged seven facilities that provided water and sanitation services to over a million people. In some areas, sewage and solid waste have accumulated in the streets, posing a severe health hazard. The bombing of the Ministry of Telecommunications caused internet services to go offline.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that fuel reserves are only sufficient for a few more days. Hospitals have resorted to using unfit well water, and due to the shutdown of Gaza’s power station, they now rely solely on backup generators, which may run out of fuel imminently.
Around one million people suffer from a severe lack of access to clean drinking water due to the imposed water cutoff. Local water pumps and sewage systems need fuel to operate. The World Health Organization estimates that the average individual in Gaza requires 100 liters of water per day for drinking, cooking, washing, and hygiene.
Palestinian officials state that Israeli airstrikes have so far destroyed approximately 1,000 homes, and about 500 more have sustained serious damage, rendering them uninhabitable. A UN report from January indicated that 13,000 homes had been destroyed since 2014, with around 2,200 awaiting reconstruction funding. Additionally, 77,000 homes have suffered partial damage. Reconstruction efforts continue to face major challenges due to Israeli restrictions on construction materials and specialized equipment, which are classified as “dual-use” items.
Given the aforementioned, and based on its pan-Arab responsibility toward its brethren across the Arab world—and in response to the urgent appeal from the Palestinian Contractors Union—the Arab Contractors Union strongly condemns these heinous crimes committed against the Palestinian people. It fully supports the call by Arab leaders and free people worldwide for the immediate cessation of this aggression. It urges the international community to act swiftly to halt Israeli attacks, end the decades-long suffering of the Palestinian people, and seek lasting solutions to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under a suffocating blockade for over 17 years.
Finally, the Union affirms its full solidarity and unwavering support for its Palestinian brothers in their legitimate demands, the respect of their rights, and the realization of justice for the Palestinian people. It also declares its complete readiness—through its member unions, associations, federations, and contracting companies across the Arab world—to contribute by all means to the reconstruction of Gaza once the aggression ends, in coordination with the President and members of the Palestinian Contractors Union.