GAZA, (PIC)
Israeli warplanes were not content with the massacre they committed on March 23, when they bombed the home of educational supervisor Jihad Al-Agha, killing him, his wife—educator Hanan Al-Astal—and four of their children: Idris, Wi’am, Janan, and Abrar. Three children initially survived that brutal airstrike and lived with the pain of loss—until another morning brought them death once again.
The surviving children were later targeted by Israeli strikes, resulting in the deaths of Obada Al-Agha, his older sister Afnan and her son Sohaib (preceded in death by his father Hamdan Al-Astal), and young Khadija Al-Agha. The tragedy deepened further with the deaths of Mohammad Basem Al-Agha and his two children, as well as injuries to several others, including the mother of the martyrs. Mohammad Nael Al-Agha was also killed.
This atrocity has effectively erased the Al-Agha family from the Palestinian civil registry—an act that clearly indicates Israel’s ongoing policy of systematic genocide against Palestinian families.
Wiping out families
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that its field teams have documented repeated instances in recent weeks of entire families being wiped off the map, with a clear pattern of deliberately targeting specific families to completely annihilate them. The Monitor emphasized that the Israeli government’s continued promotion of false narratives, alongside the intensification of these crimes, demonstrates a systematic strategy to cover up atrocities and shield perpetrators within a framework of total impunity—undermining the foundations of justice and international law.
According to the Monitor, Israeli airstrikes on April 28 targeted a home in Khan Yunis, killing 12 members of the Kawarik family—including mother Zainab Al-Majaideh and her six children. One of her brothers had been killed just three months earlier.
In a press statement on Monday, the Monitor highlighted the increased use of loitering munitions—”kamikaze drones”—to strike displaced civilians in tents and temporary shelters. These drones are equipped with advanced surveillance and real-time targeting systems, meaning Israeli forces can observe and strike targets deliberately, invalidating any claims of mistakes or randomness. This confirms intentional targeting and constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law’s protections for civilians.
In one such incident, a kamikaze drone struck a tent housing displaced Palestinians in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis around 01:50 a.m. on April 25, 2025, killing the entire family of Ibrahim Khalil Abu Taimeh (33), his pregnant wife Hanadi Shaaban Abu Taimeh (29), and their children Raafat (4), Aazem (6), and Samira (9).
Later that evening, Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Al-Amour family, wiping out nearly the entire family—killing the parents and their nine children, including three boys and four girls. Only one child survived.
False claims
Amid these continuous attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Israel does not target civilians. He accused the media of “misleading” the public and insisted that Israeli forces “do not strike civilian homes before they are evacuated.”
At the “Global Policy Summit” in occupied Jerusalem, organized by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Netanyahu cited military officials claiming they had “killed 12,000 Palestinian fighters without harming any civilians.”
This narrative appears rooted in propaganda and deliberate misinformation, ignoring the overwhelming visual and documentary evidence reported globally—including by media outlets in allied countries and international human rights organizations—exposing Israel’s extermination tactics and efforts to eliminate entire families.
Declared objectives
These acts align with official Israeli statements that confirm family targeting as part of their war objectives. Former Israeli Army Minister Yoav Gallant, for instance, announced a total siege on Gaza, stating: “We are fighting human animals.”
After the October 7, 2023 attacks, Gallant told his army’s Southern Command: “I ordered a full siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
Similarly, former Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “The crossings are shut. No electricity. No one enters or exits … Gaza is under siege,” later admitting “hundreds are buried under buildings due to our strikes.”
A strategy of eradication
The complete erasure of the Al-Agha family illustrates this eradication strategy that has continued for over 18 months. The Gaza Government Media Office reports that Israel kills an average of 90 Palestinians daily—most of whom are civilians—since the genocide began.
According to official data, Israel is wiping out around four families every day (killing parents and all children), with nine additional families reduced to a single surviving member. On average, 32 children and 22 women are killed every day.
A statement from the Media Office on Telegram said Israel is carrying out a deliberate, systematic campaign of genocide in Gaza by directly targeting unarmed civilians, in stark violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and basic ethical norms.
Reports from local and international organizations, including testimonies from Israeli pilots themselves, confirm that civilians—regardless of age, profession, or status—are being intentionally targeted. More than 65% of those killed are children, women, and the elderly. Israel has murdered over 18,000 children and 12,400 women, and wiped out more than 2,180 entire families—killing every single member. An additional 5,070 families were decimated with only one survivor.
Ethnic cleansing
The Government Media Office said these figures provide undeniable proof that the killing of civilians is not incidental, but a core component of a deliberate policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The Euro-Med Monitor expressed deep concern over the intensifying violence in recent weeks, particularly the targeted extermination of families and mass killing of women and children, while the international community remains paralyzed and ineffective in stopping the 19-month-long genocide.
While Netanyahu denies civilian targeting, his military continues to execute mass airstrikes that intentionally kill children and women—demonstrating a recurring and systematic pattern of war crimes that defy all legal norms.
Between April 20–26, Israel killed 345 Palestinians and injured 770 others. Field data confirms that at least 94% were civilians, with 75% being children (51%), women (16%), and the elderly (8%). Of the adult male casualties, at least 63 out of 81 were verified as civilians with no military or political affiliations.
The pattern of drone use also reveals that most victims are children, women, and unarmed civilians—further proving that Israel is committing deliberate mass killings in violation of the Genocide Convention.
Spreading terror
Israel’s use of heavy munitions and suicide drones to strike tents and ruined homes—without any justified military necessity—indicates a policy intended to maximize civilian deaths and spread fear among the population. This behavior is explicitly banned by international law.
Most of these attacks receive no formal justification, even though they target purely civilian locations. When explanations are offered, they typically cite the presence of a militant as justification—claims widely considered false and insufficient to explain the scale of death and destruction.
Complicity in genocide
The Euro-Med Monitor emphasized that Israel consistently recycles unverified claims of targeting militants to defend its attacks, yet provides no verifiable evidence and blocks independent investigation.
It added that Israel’s internal probes lack independence and seriousness, merely offering a veneer of accountability while effectively protecting the perpetrators. Disciplinary actions, if taken, are extremely rare and symbolic—falling far short of the gravity of the crimes committed.
These empty justifications do not relieve Israel of its obligations under international law, nor do they exempt other states from their legal duty to investigate, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide redress to victims.
The Monitor warned against the dangerous precedent of international silence, which effectively grants Israel a free license to kill civilians under a false legal guise, thereby stripping international law of meaning and power.
Even if a militant had been present at the scene, the Monitor stressed, it would not justify these massacres nor absolve Israel of its legal duty to follow the principles of humanity, distinction, necessity, and proportionality—cornerstones of international humanitarian law that Israel is obligated to uphold in every military operation.
Israel’s systematic killing of civilians in Gaza—its focus on displacing them repeatedly, destroying their shelters, and continuing to strike declared humanitarian zones—reveals a deliberate policy aimed at annihilating Palestinian life and spirit. This is taking place alongside continuous bombardment throughout the Strip, including areas designated as humanitarian zones, with a particular focus on targeting shelters — even those set up in UNRWA facilities.
