(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reiterates its call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza to bring an end to the hostilities and the appalling bloodshed being caused by the bombardments, shelling and ground invasion.

With the toll of civilian deaths and wounded mounting incrementally in Gaza, the vast majority being in particular women and children; with hundreds of homes and civilian buildings such as schools destroyed or severely damaged; with few if any safe havens for the thousands of displaced Palestinians, the question must be raised as to whether the principles of proportionality and the norms of international humanitarian law and of international human rights are being respected in the assault on Gaza.

In like manner, the continuing launching of rockets from Gaza targeting the Israeli civilian population is in breach of these norms, as is the location of firing sites and weapons close to United Nations schools used as shelters as well as close to concentrations of civilians.

As the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens dramatically, the Caribbean Community joins its collective voice to the calls coming from many quarters in the international community for all the parties involved to cease hostilities and end the intolerable escalation of death, destruction and violence.