GAZA, (PIC)
The flow of martyrs continues in the Gaza Strip despite the announcement of a ceasefire nearly two months ago between the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Israeli occupation, which was supposed to halt all military operations from both sides. However, the occupation has been violating every clause of the agreement from the first hours, primarily by continuing to target citizens throughout the devastated Strip.
In a new massacre, nine young men, including several journalists and relief workers, were martyred on Saturday due to an Israeli airstrike targeting a media and humanitarian team documenting relief activities in the Beit Lahiya area in the northern Gaza Strip. Local sources reported that occupation planes struck two vehicles carrying teams from “Al-Khair International Foundation” while they were conducting field relief tasks, resulting in the martyrdom of nine individuals, who were taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Hasna, a representative of Al-Khair International Foundation, said that the occupation forces bombed two vehicles carrying aid distribution teams in the northern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center (PJPS) confirmed that “Israel committed a new crime by killing three journalists while documenting humanitarian efforts in northern Gaza for those affected by the genocide,” considering the deliberate targeting of journalists as a “war crime” that threatens press freedom and those working in the fields of media and relief.
The Center added that this assault is part of a systematic policy to obstruct the flow of information and prevent the international community from witnessing the catastrophic humanitarian reality in the Gaza Strip, calling for an urgent international investigation and accountability for those responsible for the crime.
Dr. Ismail Thawabta, director of the Government Media Office (GMO), said that the occupation army has committed a horrific massacre in the Beit Lahiya area, resulting in the martyrdom of nine individuals who were working for a charitable organization conducting humanitarian activities in shelters during the holy month of Ramadan. Thawabta condemned, in the strongest terms, the brutal crime committed by the Israeli occupation army against workers in a charity that was engaged in humanitarian activities in shelters and displacement centers, emphasizing that targeting unarmed civilians, especially those who serve humanity and provide assistance to the displaced and homeless, constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
He added that the direct artillery shelling followed by brutal airstrikes in the Beit Lahiya area of the northern Gaza Strip carried out by the occupation army resulted in the martyrdom of nine individuals from this charitable organization who were fulfilling their humanitarian duties under tragic circumstances. He noted that the occupation’s attack points to an unjustified escalation in its military aggression against the innocent and reflects the cruelty of the occupation and its complete disregard for human rights.
The GMO director affirmed that this heinous crime will not go unpunished, calling on the international community, especially the United Nations and mediators, to intervene immediately and take deterrent measures against these blatant violations. Thawabta held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these crimes against humanity, which add to a long record of violations and extend the genocide that has claimed more than 61,000 martyrs and missing persons, demanding an end to the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, the opening of an impartial and transparent international investigation into these horrific crimes committed by the occupation, and the prosecution of the leaders of the occupation.
On social media, users mourned the nine martyrs, praying that they would receive the reward for assisting the needy, feeding the hungry, and visiting the sick. They emphasized that these martyrs had been fulfilling their humanitarian duty since the first day of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. One user remarked, “The martyrs had agreed to deliver the Beit Lahiya camp after preparing it with about a thousand Turkish tents, along with the necessary infrastructure. They were racing against time to secure shelter for people against the elements and the harsh winter. They were hopeful to complete what they had started, but the occupation struck them with missiles and false claims. They will receive the reward for aiding the needy, breaking the fast of the fasting, and visiting the sick; they did not leave a door for good they did not knock on and did not stop their duties since the first day of this genocide, despite the martyrdom of their companions before them.”
Since the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip on March 1, the occupation forces have carried out airstrikes and gunfire almost daily, resulting in numerous martyrs and injuries. Since the ceasefire came into effect, the occupation army has committed approximately 1,000 violations, resulting in around 155 martyrs and hundreds of injuries, in addition to airstrikes, land leveling, house demolitions, and tank incursions, according to official data.
