Palestinian Territory – For the ninth consecutive month, the Israeli army has continued its massive military attack on the Gaza Strip, using disproportionately destructive force and committing mass murder against Palestinian civilians, even in areas it has designated as safe zones.
A marked increase in Israeli targeted bombing during the past few days has been documented by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor field team. This includes bombing homes directly over the heads of their occupants and targeting displaced people’s tents in areas that Israel has designated as humanitarian zones. The escalation reached its peak on Friday, 21 June, when more than 67 civilians were killed and more than 125 others were injured.
According to the Euro-Med field team, 24 displaced Palestinians were killed and 40 others were injured when Israeli tanks and aircraft bombed the displacement tents in the Mawasi Rafahneighbourhood, close to the International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters. This is the fourth large-scale massacre carried out by Israeli forces against displaced people who have been forced to live in tents in the Al-Mawasi area as a result of repeated bombings and displacement orders over the past month. The attacks have coincided with the military campaign Israel has waged against the city of Rafah since 7 May.
In addition, the Euro-Med team documented four Israeli attacks in less than five hours in Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of 42 Palestinians and the moderate to serious injuries of 85 others, the majority of whom were women and children.
The field team ascertained that at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, Israeli aircraft bombed workers in the Gaza municipality’s fuel management room, which supplies fuel to municipal vehicles, water wells, and sewage stations. This occurred in spite of prior coordination between municipal employees and the Israeli army to notify the army of the fuel crew’s duties and obtain prior approval of the list of workers employed there. The attack claimed the lives of five municipal employees and a clothing seller who was at his store’s door close to the municipal garage, in central Gaza City.
The second targeting occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m. when Israeli planes bombed a residential home in the Coloured Neighbourhood in the Old City, east of Gaza City. Twelve people were killed during the attack, while a number of others were injured. Ahmed Abu Al-Atta, a Palestinian player for the Al-Ahly club, along with his wife and several children, were among the victims. A short while later, the Badr family’s home on Al-Nazaz Street, east of Gaza City, was the target of a third attack that resulted in several fatalities and injuries.
The fourth targeting occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. with an Israeli attack on a home owned by the Salah family in the Beach Camp, west of Gaza City. Seven people were killed and over 20 others were injured, the majority of whom were women and children. In addition, there were intermittent Israeli attacks on Palestinians in various city neighbourhoods, resulting in 42 deaths and 85 injuries.
Palestinian civilians have also been targeted during Eid al-Adha, both in their homes and during family visits.
These attacks, along with the horrific statistics regarding the number of people killed and the extent of the destruction caused, support the allegation that Israel is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, as part of its nine-month crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. This calls foraction by all international legal, judicial, and investigative entities as well as serious efforts to hold Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable, prevent them from evading punishment, and compensate the victims and their families in compliance with international law.
For providing Israel with various forms of military, logistical, operational, and financial support during its military attack on the Gaza Strip, the United States must be held accountable as a major collaborator in committing crimes against the Palestinian people in the Strip, including the crime of genocide. This includes holding accountable all American officials who took part in making decisions that contributed to the war crimes.
Along with imposing effective sanctions and halting all political, financial, and military cooperation and support of Israel, all nations should also take responsibility for their international obligations by immediately halting arms transfers to Israel, including export permits and military assistance.