Washington Centre for Human Rights Demands Action on Civilian Deaths, Displacement, Hospital Attacks in Operation Gideon’s Chariots

The Washington Centre for Human Rights expresses grave concern over the unprecedented scale of civilian deaths, mass forced displacement, and systematic attacks on hospitals and shelters in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operations under Operation Gideon’s Chariots. As an organization committed to the protection and promotion of human rights globally, we urge the international community and responsible authorities to take immediate and decisive action to address these grave violations and uphold the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

The Israel Defense Force has announced the beginning of “extensive” ground operations across Gaza by both the regular army and reservist elements, as part of “Operation Gideon's Chariots” with its primary objectives being the total occupation of the Gaza Strip and the destruction… pic.twitter.com/1NWM0JVnHg

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 18, 2025

Building evidence of abuses in operation Gideon chariots

The humanitarian conditions are worsened by the fact that since the initiation of Operation Gideon Chariots in May 2025, a massive military conflict that was unsuccessful in eradicating Hamas and ensuring Israeli governance over the Gaza Strip, experienced a severe decline124. According to reports by the international agencies and the media reports, most of the over 40,000 Palestinians murdered since October 2023 are women and children4. Mass destruction of houses, hospitals, schools and water facilities has left the escalated effect of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, displacing nearly two million people internally and vital infrastructure crippled.

The UN Human Rights Office has labelled the offensive as an equivalent of ethnic cleansing due to the widespread damage and arbitration of the Gaza population5. Amnesty International, Human Rights Now and the Palestinian Centre of Human Rights, some of the major bodies against human rights, have all reported assault on facilities meant to be safe by the military, extrajudicial killings and use of civilians trying to escape shelling.

Call for Accountability and Action

Washington Centre for Human Rights, to the following organizations and bodies a call is urgently made to adopt immediate, concrete action:

• United Nations human rights council (UNHRC): To commission and provide independent commissions of inquiry into the activities of operation Gideon Chariots and to hold violators of international laws in Gaza accountable.
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): To increase monitoring, public reporting and accountability recommendations and to emphasise the need for urgent protection of the civilians.

• International Criminal Court (ICC): In order to hasten investigation and where necessary prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza.
• Amnesty International and Human Rights Now: To carry on reporting violations, pressuring countries to act and encourage the civil society to seek justice and defend citizens.
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): To provide swift humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees as well as to provide protection to them.
• UN Security Council and UN General Assembly: To establish and apply binding resolutions to provide protection to civilians and facilitate humanitarian and separate precautionary measures and without exception to instill responsibility Courageous through sanctions and sanctions measures.
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and other Palestinian human rights organizations: To carry on with their important role in documenting the violations and advocating victims at ground levels.

We also request the rest of the other interested international and regional organizations to assume their role in advocating justice and restoration of human rights in Gaza using their platforms and experiences in the area.

Respect of Human rights is not negotiable

Being a human rights organization, we uphold that the sanctity of civilian lives and respect to international law is non-negotiable even during conflicts. The current state of events in Gaza in the context of Operation Gideon Chariots can be summed up as a humanitarian crisis besides being a benchmark of the world in regards to its determination to act on justice, accountability and the rule of law. Failure to act and speak up at the occurrence of such serious abuses erodes the principles of the international human right system.We are calling on the governments, international organizations as well as civil society partners to hold hands and insist on the legal sanity of the eradication of impunity and the reclaiming of human rights of all who are victims of the conflict in Gaza.