One year on from 7 October, leading rights groups slam 'collective failure' to end Gaza war

International human rights groups have made a unified call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on the anniversary of the start of the war on Monday and expressed frustration at the international community's inability to stop the suffering.

A year of Israel's indiscriminate bombardment has resulted in unprecedented levels of death and devastation in Gaza, where nearly 42,000 people have been killed and over 96,000 injured, although undocumented deaths mean the real death toll is likely much higher.

The Israeli military's siege and obstruction of humanitarian aid operations also strangled access to electricity, food, water, medicine, and fuel, destroying almost 70 percent of all buildings in Gaza.

Leading NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), renewed on Monday calls for adherence to international law as Israel faces charges of genocide in its onslaught on the besieged enclave.

UK-based Amnesty International said the ongoing war had underscored the critical need for accountability and justice, describing the situation as "dire" in a statement on Monday.

"It is shameful and a collective failure of humanity that one year on still there is no ceasefire, still no release of hostages. Such atrocities should never have been committed let alone be allowed to continue," Agnes Callamard, the group's secretary-general said.

She called for an end to weapons supply to Israel as it continues to breach international humanitarian law with impunity.

"This anniversary is a sobering reminder of the urgent need to address the root causes, cut the supply of arms to all parties and end longstanding impunity that has seen Israeli forces [...] flout international law for decades without fearing any consequences," Callamard said.

The group noted that Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories had begun long before 7 October and denounced Israel's "cruel system of apartheid" and "unlawful occupation".

Similarly, the US-based HRW slammed inaction by the international community, saying many governments around the world only seem to care about backing "their side" instead of supporting international law.

"The Israeli government has spread more horror over the past year, committing its own atrocities and acting as if the laws of war no longer apply at all," the group said.

"Civilian protection is a cornerstone of these laws, but the Israeli military has been using explosive weapons in densely populated areas in Gaza, raising the risk of unlawfully indiscriminate attacks," the group said.

"They've damaged or destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and shopping malls, without advance warning, caused death, severe injuries, and permanent disabilities, including in attacks HRW has documented as unlawful."

It noted that the majority of buildings in Gaza were damaged or destroyed and entire neighbourhoods were razed to the ground. 

"Almost all civilians in Gaza are displaced, with most crammed into an area that’s just three percent of Gaza's territory," HRW said.

It also noted that Israel was flouting international humanitarian law and was acting in direct defiance of orders from the World Court.

"Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities have been tortured, abused, held in incommunicado detention, and subjected to sexual violence," the group said.

"The government of Israel is starving Gaza as a weapon of war. Its blockade restricts humanitarian aid, not only severely limiting food but also medicine and medical supplies."

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) also called for urgent action to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza and uphold international law.

It noted that over 986 health workers were killed by Israel's military offensive, highlighting that the number was unprecedented in any other conflict in recent years.

It said that medical workers who had survived were exhausted and had worked non-stop for the past 365 days of attacks and air strikes.

"We have run out of words to describe the horrors our teams are witnessing and experiencing in Gaza," Fikr Shalltoot, MAP's Gaza director, said.

"Frequent mass killings of civilians, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and the systematic destruction of healthcare are an existential threat to people. Gaza is being erased in front of our eyes."