Participants in the Ninth Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, on Thursday (October 19, 2023), condemned the military escalation of the Israeli occupation in Gaza Strip that resulted in a large number of civilian casualties as well as the destruction of the environment and necessities of life by targeting hospitals, educational, cultural and scientific institutions and infrastructure, and imposing a complete siege of the Strip.

“Within the context of the outcomes of the emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held in Jeddah, on 18 October 2023, upon an initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and under its presidency, to discuss the latest developments in Gaza Strip, we express our strong condemnation of the tragic events that the brotherly Palestinian people are exposed to, especially what is currently happening in and around the Gaza Strip; condemn the military escalation that causes casualties among civilians, the destruction of the environment and the basic necessities of life; the targeting of hospitals, educational, cultural and scientific institutions and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and the imposition of a total siege on it, and also denounce the calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, which is inconsistent with international humanitarian law,” stressed the Declaration.

Moreover, the Declaration also stressed “the need to protect civilians, provide for their necessary humanitarian needs, including the right to education and health care, and allow the delivery of the basic necessary medical and relief aid to the residents of Gaza, and call on the international community to assume its responsibilities and act swiftly to avoid further casualties among civilians, especially among the sick, the injured, children, women and the elderly, and the occurrence of a humanitarian, environmental and health catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, and put an end to the massive destruction targeting the environment, human beings and various living organisms.”