International Campaign of Academics and Scholars Worldwide in Support of the Oppressed and Besieged People of Gaza

To Professors, Researchers, Students, and Free-thinking Academics across the World:

1- If we do not believe in religion, then let it be by the call of our shared humanity and moral conscience;

If we do, then by the teachings of divine scriptures and the voices of the prophets;

And if we are Muslim, then by the words of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

“Whoever hears the cry for help from another human being and does not respond is not a Muslim.”

 

In any case, we are morally bound not to remain silent in the face of the historical oppression of the Palestinian people—especially the catastrophic tragedy now unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

 

2- The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is neither a political dispute nor a conventional military conflict. It is a clear and systematic violation of the foundational principles of international law, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law (IHL).

 

3- The Gaza Strip, home to over two million people, has endured months of unrelenting air, land, and sea attacks by the Israeli military. According to verified reports from the United Nations Human Rights Council’s fact-finding missions, Human Rights Watch, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, many acts meet the legal definition of war crimes, including:

• Repeated and direct attacks on civilian infrastructure;
• Use of banned or indiscriminate weapons;
• Targeting hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, relief centers, and refugee camps;
• Mass killing, injury, and forced displacement of civilians.

 

4- Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute (1998) of the International Criminal Court, many of these acts constitute war crimes. Moreover, under Article 7, policies of collective siege, deliberate starvation of civilians, and forced population transfers amount to crimes against humanity.

 

5- The total blockade of Gaza—prohibiting the entry of food, water, fuel, and medicine—represents a blatant violation of Common Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) and Additional Protocol I (1977). Paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this protocol explicitly states: “Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.”

 

6- The intentional creation of famine, deprivation of medical supplies, water shortages, and fuel scarcity has led to mass deaths among children and the elderly and the outbreak of deadly diseases. This is not only unlawful, but also unethical and inhumane—it burns the conscience of every free human being.

 

7- Official statements from Israeli officials calling for the 'cleansing of Gaza' and the 'destruction of the enemy'—if matched by actions and intent—fall under the legal definition of genocide, as defined in Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).

 

8- Furthermore, the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)—adopted at the 2005 United Nations World Summit—affirms that in the face of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, or crimes against humanity, the international community must take collective action to prevent or halt such atrocities, even without UN Security Council authorization.

 

9- Despite this, the political world remains largely indifferent, cold, and at times complicit in the face of this stark and widespread catastrophe. Many international institutions have fallen silent or limited themselves to issuing ineffective statements while these horrific crimes continue.

 

10- We, members of the global academic community, grounded in our scientific, ethical, and human responsibilities, call upon scholars, researchers, and universities around the world: Do not remain silent. Now is the time for knowledge, truth, academia, and global ethics to rise and become a bulwark against this machinery of death, famine, occupation, and genocide.

 

11- We urgently call for immediate and concrete actions from governments, academic institutions, and global civil society, including:

• Unconditional and immediate delivery of humanitarian aid (water, food, medicine, fuel);
• Full lifting of the blockade on Gaza and the permanent reopening of all crossings;
• Guaranteed access for journalists, international observers, and human rights investigators; - Complete suspension of arms exports to the Israeli regime by all states and corporations;
• Formal recognition of the State of Palestine and its people's right to self-determination under UNGA Resolution 67/19, along with the right of return affirmed in UNGA Resolution 194 (1948);
• Prosecution of Israeli political and military leaders in the International Criminal Court.

 

12- We assert that neutrality in such circumstances is no longer a political stance—it is complicity in atrocity. The silence of academics legitimizes occupation, apartheid, and the murder of children. We call upon all professors, researchers, students, and academic institutions to endorse and amplify this statement, thereby becoming the voice of the global moral conscience.

 

13- Today, Gaza is not merely a land ravaged by war—it is a full-length mirror reflecting the collapse of global morality and the fundamental crisis in the enforcement of international law. If the university remains silent, history will no longer have a witness to defend our humanity.

 

 

 

Signed by

Professors, Students, and Academics from Iran and Across the World