GAZA, (PIC)
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that Israel has implemented a systematic policy of targeting civilians of the Gaza Strip, who are protected by international humanitarian law.
The Euro-Med explained in a statement on Tuesday that this includes intensifying the bombing of shelter centers over the heads of the displaced people inside, as well as targeting areas designated as humanitarian zones, as part of the ongoing crime of genocide it has been committing since 7 October 2023.
It added that the Israeli occupation army has been killing large numbers of Palestinians in the Strip for nearly nine months now by bombing civilian targets, attacking United Nations-run shelter centers, and carrying out mass killings—each of which is a serious violation of international law on its own.
By targeting UNRWA schools functioning as shelter centers, Israeli bombing tactics demonstrate a deliberate policy intended to prevent security across the entire Gaza Strip and deny displaced Palestinians stability or shelter, even if that shelter is only temporary, the Euro-Med underlined.
Four Israeli attacks against shelter centers have been reported since dawn Tuesday 25 June, in addition to the demolishing of several homes on top of their occupants, it added.
This morning, Israeli warplanes bombed the Abdel Fattah Hammoud School in central Gaza, killing eight displaced people, all of whom were members of the Al-Jarro family, the statement highlighted.
Eleven additional displaced people—including five women and four children—were killed at dawn when Israeli aircraft bombed the UNRWA-run “Asmaa C” school, which is home to refugees in Al-Shati camp near Gaza City, the human rights group stated.
The Euro-Med listed the most recent crimes of the Israeli occupation army that have been committed against civilians in the Strip, underscoring that apart from targeting refuge centers, Israeli warplanes bombed at least 12 houses in different areas of the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. As a result, many people have been killed and injured, some of whom are still under the rubble.
Targeting shelter centers flying the UN flag and homes housing displaced persons, as well as eliminating entire families, confirms that the Israeli military is continuing to violate the principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality, and is refusing to take any precautions to prevent civilian deaths, the Euro-Med said.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor emphasized that there is no legal or moral justification for this violence, which is clearly part of a series of Israeli operations that deliberately use firepower to inflict grave harm on vulnerable Palestinian civilians, destroying many of their lives.
Alongside political incitement and administrative and legislative actions by Israeli officials aimed at undermining the UN agency’s work in the Gaza Strip, the repeated attacks on United Nations buildings, which result in the deaths of internally displaced people as well as the inhumane destruction and burning of their bodies, constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and war crimes in and of themselves.
All UNRWA schools’ shelter centers were set on fire and destroyed by Israeli forces during last month’s invasion of Jabalia and its refugee camp.
According to UNRWA, Israeli forces have bombed more than 190 UNRWA buildings over the past eight months, and killed more than 460 displaced people as a result, even though UNRWA shares the coordinates of all its facilities (including this school) with the Israeli army and other parties to the conflict.
Civilians in Rafah are paying a heavy price for Israeli military attacks that seriously violate the rules of international humanitarian law, especially the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity.
The Euro-Med said all nations are required to fulfill their international obligations by enacting strong sanctions against Israel and severing all other types of political, financial, and military support and cooperation, stressing that this includes immediately halting arms transfers to Israel, including export permits and military aid; otherwise, these nations will be held accountable for the crimes that have been committed in the Gaza Strip, including genocide.
Additionally, it urged the International Criminal Court to keep looking into any and all crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, broaden its investigation into criminal responsibility in order to hold all perpetrators accountable, issue arrest warrants for those responsible, and acknowledge and address Israel’s crimes in the Strip as they are international crimes that fall under the purview of the International Criminal Court and are clearly crimes of genocide.
