The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has stated that Israel’s relentless aerial and artillery attacks on the Gaza Strip have turned it into a hellhole where death and destruction prevail in the midst of extremely complex humanitarian conditions.
In a press release on Saturday the Euro-Med Monitor said it &ldquodocumented the killing of at least 14 Palestinians every hour on the eighth day of Israel’s military operation &lsquoOperation Iron Swords&rsquo in the Gaza Strip. So far this operation has included the dropping of more than 6000 bombs on the densely populated area.&rdquo
&ldquoCivilian residents in Gaza find themselves with no shelter fleeing from one form of death to another in an inhumane reality. Basic services such as electricity water communications and the internet are in short supply posing unprecedented and serious threats to food security.&rdquo
The Israeli security cabinet approved a state of war on the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening allowing the army to conduct extensive military attacks in response to Hamas’s Operation &ldquoAl-Aqsa Flood.&rdquo
&ldquoSince that time the Israeli army has executed thousands of airstrikes and artillery strikes around the clock targeting residential neighborhoods and multi-story buildings &hellip in the Gaza Strip&rdquo Euro Med said.
According to Euro-Med Monitor at least 2370 Palestinians have been killed (so far) including 721 children and 390 women while 9250 others mostly children and women have suffered different injuries.
Euro-Med emphasized that &ldquoIsrael continues to intensify its airstrikes and artillery attacks all over the Gaza Strip and destroy entire residential neighborhoods which resulted in &ldquothe annihilation of at least 82 families in horrific collective killings.&rdquo
&ldquoIsrael’s attacks have destroyed 2650 residential buildings and severely damaged approximately 70000 residential units. In addition 65 government buildings were destroyed.&rdquo
Euro-Med also pointed out that Israeli attacks on Gaza destroyed at least 71 schools 145 industrial facilities 61 media headquarters 18 mosques and dozens of ancient holy sites.
&ldquoThe Gaza Strip was already experiencing a wide-scale displacement as a result of Israel’s attacks.&rdquo Euro-Med documented the displacement of over 820000 individuals to UN-affiliated schools government schools and homes of relatives and neighbors.
&ldquoIn the absence of a safe haven tens of thousands of civilians sought refuge in hospitals to protect themselves from Israel’s attacks with over 35000 people taking shelter in the Shifa Medical Complex alone.&rdquo
Euro-Med accused the Israeli army of terrorizing the residents of Gaza City and northern areas by ordering them to leave their homes and travel to the central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip.
Euro-Med Monitor highlighted that &ldquothe evacuation warnings for civilians in Gaza were made without any announcement of halting air raids and aerial attacks and without any safety or return guarantees&rdquo calling Israel’s forced transfer of civilians in Gaza a &ldquowar crime.&rdquo
In a related context Euro-Med said that 73 Palestinians were massacred and more than 130 others were injured on Friday afternoon when Israeli warplanes bombed three convoys of trucks and cars carrying families on Salah al-Din and Rashid roads as they attempted to reach areas south of Wadi Gaza following the Israeli army’s evacuation orders.
Euro-Med strongly denounced &ldquothe deliberate targeting of civilians who had been forcibly displaced from their homes after being intimidated and warned by the Israeli army.&rdquo
It emphasized that &ldquosuch an action constitutes a blatant violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits the occupying power from directly transferring residents or deporting individuals protected under international law in the occupied territory.&rdquo
&ldquoThe Israeli army even warned four hospitals including Kamal Adwan Hospital Al-Awda Hospital Al-Quds Hospital and the Jordanian Field Hospital to evacuate them from the Gaza and northern regions a measure that prevents essential and emergency health services for hundreds of thousands of residents&rdquo Euro-Med added.
Euro-Med called for immediate international action to ensure the supply of electricity water and basic needs to Gaza and to lift the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the territory since 2006 &ldquowhich is a major cause of the ongoing conflict.&rdquo
It stressed that the ongoing collective punishment of the civilians in Gaza amounts to a war crime adding that Israel as an occupying power is legally obligated to meet the basic needs of the occupied civilian population under international law.
In light of the current events Euro-Med questioned the position of the International Criminal Court which initiated in recent years an investigation into the occurrence of crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories (without any tangible results so far).
