In light of the devastating hunger crisis affecting the population in the Gaza Strip, European governments are facing growing pressure to back their criticism with concrete action. On Tuesday evening, numerous NGOs gathered in front of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna for a demonstration, urging the Austrian government to respond. A video released last Friday by the terrorist organization Hamas showing an emaciated hostage, Evyatar David, has gone viral around the world.

“I haven’t eaten in days,” says David in the video, visibly frail and seemingly digging his own grave. The following day, protesters once again took to the streets of several Israeli cities—as they do every Saturday night—demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages. Global Protests Against Israel’s Actions in Gaza Not only in Israel, but across the globe, people are loudly demanding a change in political direction regarding Israel.

At the end of July, 28 countries, including Austria, issued a joint statement urging Israel to end the war in Gaza. Most recently, thousands of people demonstrated in Sydney on Sunday against the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. On Tuesday night, a coalition of several NGOs also called for a demonstration at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Austrian Parliament. The government’s actions so far, they say, are not enough. In their public letter titled “Stop the Genocide,” the NGOs call on the Austrian government to cease “standing idly by” and to stop its support.

They cite the estimated 56,000 deaths among the Palestinian population, including countless children. Most of all, they condemn the deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, which, according to the NGO alliance—including Amnesty International Austria, Attac, Fridays for Future, Ni Una Menos (Austria), Standing Together Vienna, and Südwind—violates international law.

The NGOs emphatically stress that they condemn the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. However, they assert that those crimes do not justify the violations of international law committed by Israel in Gaza since then. NGOs Accuse the Government of Words Without Action They call on the Austrian government and national parliament to actively work toward a permanent and immediate ceasefire and to push for the lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip. In late July, more than 100 international aid organizations issued a warning about mass famine.

According to the United Nations (UN), around 1,000 people have been killed by the Israeli military while searching for food since the end of May. The Vienna-based NGO coalition is also demanding the resumption of emergency humanitarian aid funding for Gaza through independent organizations. At the very least, annual funds available up to 2023 should be released.

The background for this demand involves criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is currently responsible for distributing aid supplies. Numerous international aid groups accuse the foundation of failing to operate according to humanitarian principles. Furthermore, the Austrian government is being urged to support a full investigation into war crimes committed since October 7, 2023, and to clearly condemn any violations of international law committed by Israel. From the NGOs’ perspective, initiatives must also be supported to prevent forced resettlements or illegal expulsions of the Gaza population, while also recognizing the Palestinian people's right to collective self-determination.

A Call for Peaceful Protest The alliance is calling for a peaceful protest. Any violence, threats, or intimidation against other demonstrators, passersby, or state institutions will be explicitly rejected. The demonstration is aimed solely at opposing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in violation of international law and the disregard for humanitarian principles.

The organizers also stress that there is no room for discrimination, hatred, or group-based hostility at the assembly. Likewise, the glorification, justification, or relativization of violence—whether physical, structural, or ideological—is not permitted, nor are any direct or indirect calls for violence. Participants are also asked to refrain from displaying national symbols of other states, with the exception of the Palestinian flag.