[News] Days 3-4: Israel’s Massacre of Civilians in Gaza Continues Unabated in the Silence of the International Community
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Wed Oct 11 09:21:04 EDT 2023
Days 3-4: Israel’s Massacre of Civilians in Gaza Continues Unabated in
the Silence of the International Community
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*Days 3-4: Israel’s Massacre of Civilians in Gaza Continues Unabated in
the Silence of the International Community *
Date: 11 October 2023
For the third day, the Israeli military continued their military
offensive against Gaza. The third day saw the largest number and most
violent attacks against the civilian population in Gaza and against
civilian objects, especially homes, which are supposed to be protected
under international humanitarian law. The Israeli authorities used
weapons with the capacity to cause large-scale destruction, resulting in
significant loss of life and property. Entire families were wiped out,
and the attacks affected dozens of high-rise residential buildings,
destroying or defacing entire residential neighborhoods. Homes and
private facilities were attacked together with public buildings such as
ministries, universities, schools, businesses, media agencies and
hospitals. The state of the total siege was preserved, with supplies of
electricity, water, fuel, food, and medicine cut off. Such acts
constitute a serious breach of international norms and conventions.
The Israeli military forces intensified their aerial bombing across the
entire Gaza Strip; no area was spared. Entities with special protected
status and indispensable for the survival of the civilian population
Gaza, were targeted, including ambulances, arterial roads, electricity
networks, water and sewage networks, waste treatment sites, municipal
buildings, agricultural lands, and livestock. According to the
Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of 8 a.m. on 11 October, the military
attacks have killed 950 Palestinians and injured 5,000 others. Thousands
of homes and private and public properties were destroyed.
On 10 October 2023, a spokesperson
<https://alhaq.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=10071401ba4201bc1a4992f68&id=82ff4a2ce1&e=08c14cf485>
of the Israeli army “[in Gaza] the emphasis is on damage not accuracy".
This statement appears as an admission of intent to commit a widespread
and systematic attack against the civilian population and commit war
crimes and other grave international crimes against the civilian
population in Gaza.
The following are the most severe Israeli attacks carried out in Gaza
between midday on 9 October and midday on 10 October 2023, as monitored
and documented jointly by Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre
for Human Rights:
*
In the North Gaza District, Israeli military forces targeted four
houses belonging to Nasser Abu Obeid, the late Abdulrahim
Al-Madhouns’ sons, Mahmoud Dahalan, and Mahmoud Al-Masri. Civil
defence and ambulance teams managed to recover seven Palestinians
from the rubble, including three children and a woman. There are
also reports indicating that there are still bodies or survivors
under the rubble of the Al-Madhoun and the Al-Masri homes.
*
In Gaza City, Israeli forces conducted a series of airstrikes on
residential neighborhoods, accompanied by intense shelling from
artillery and naval vessels. Most of the bombing targeted the Ansar,
Tal Al-Hawa, Al-Rimal, Al-Sheja’eyya, Al-Zaytoun, and Al-Sabra
areas. These are densely populated neighborhoods with a significant
number of shops and facilities, institutions, and other public
facilities. The Al-Rimal neighborhood, which is in the center of
Gaza City, is considered the city’s commercial and financial center.
The intensive bombardment caused damage to infrastructure and water
and electricity grids, and the destruction of entire neighborhoods
and multi-story houses. Prominent among the facilities destroyed due
to the attacks are the Islamic University headquarters, the Ministry
of Awqaf (Endowments), the Ministry of Finance, the Palestinian Bar
Association, the Ministry of Culture, and the headquarters of the
Palestinian Telecommunications Company. Furthermore, Israeli forces
targeted the Al-Badrsawi building adjacent to Al-Shifa Hospital and
destroyed it completely. The attack also caused damage to the
paediatric unit in Al-Shifa Hospital. The attacks on residential
houses, including the Al-Helo, Dalloul, Al-Loulou, Hassouna, and
Madi families, killed 62 Palestinians, including women and children.
Three journalists were also killed in the bombing of the Babel
building in Institutions Street near Gaza port. The search for
survivors or bodies under the rubble is still ongoing.
*
In the Middle Area District, Israeli forces targeted several houses
and apartments belonging to the Abu Dan, Hassan, Adwan families, and
others. The attacks killed 27 Palestinians, including 15 children
and six women.
*
In Khan Younis, Israeli forces targeted several houses and
apartments belonging to the Al-Najjar, Al-Astal, Qannan, Al-Lahham,
Al-Hila, and Qudeih families. The attacks killed 58 Palestinians,
including 23 children and 19 women. Israeli forces also targeted
several ambulances during attempts to rescue casualties. They
targeted the Khan Younis Municipality building in the city center,
completely destroying it, and killing a number of Palestinians in
the vicinity. The search for survivors under the debris is still
ongoing.
*
In Rafah, Israeli forces targeted the house and agricultural lands
of the Al-Sheikh Eid family, killing 11 Palestinians, including four
children and two women.
The search for bodies and survivors in the rubble continues.
Furthermore, Israeli forces bombed the Rafah border crossing gate
between Gaza and Egypt for the second time, the result of which is that
no one can enter or leave Gaza via this crossing.
The ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death
and injuries of hundreds of Palestinian civilians, coupled with the
severe blockade and closure, are pushing the humanitarian situation to
the brink of collapse. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health
(MOH), ten medical facilities, including seven government hospitals,
have been damaged due to Israeli attacks. Additionally, 12 ambulances,
five of which belong to the MOH, were targeted, killing five medical
personnel.
Amid the ongoing offensive, healthcare facilities are struggling to
deliver essential treatment and care to the thousands affected. The
situation is exacerbated by power shortages and the unavailability of
essential drugs and supplies for emergency departments and operating
rooms. The full closure of crossings in and out of Gaza further
endangers the lives of patients, particularly those undergoing treatment
for cancer, as they are denied access to life-saving medical treatment
outside Gaza.
The destruction caused by the Israeli military attacks on roads, water
supplies and sewage networks, telephone landlines, and internet lines
has caused the inhabitants of Gaza enormous suffering. Municipalities
are struggling to repair the damage, limited by a lack of materials and
funds. The targeting of companies responsible for providing services,
such as the Palestinian Telecommunications Company, adds to the
difficulties in maintaining essential services. Moreover, the acute
shortage of fuel and cutting off water and electricity impede the
provision of clean water to the population. The lack of capacity to
treat wastewater, and the accumulation of garbage in residential areas
pose significant health and environmental risks.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
(UNRWA) announced
<https://alhaq.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=10071401ba4201bc1a4992f68&id=f92ec7a32d&e=08c14cf485>
that the number of internally displaced persons has increased to 187,518
in 83 of its schools across the Gaza Strip. UNRWA highlighted
difficulties in providing water. Additionally, 18 UNRWA facilities
sustained damage due to Israeli attacks.
Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip targeted and killed
journalists and destroyed media institutions. As reported by the Gaza
Government Media Office, seven journalists have been killed during
Israeli airstrikes, with another ten sustaining various injuries. Media
headquarters located in multi-story buildings, such as the Watan Tower,
were destroyed, and the homes of some journalists were also targeted.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq and Al Mezan condemn in
the strongest terms Israel's aggression on Gaza and the crimes committed
against civilians, including the widespread and systematic targeting of
civilian structures and properties, which may amount to war crimes and
crimes against humanity. Our organizations denounce the intensified
attacks carried out on densely populated areas, and the strict closure
and cutting off of supplies of electricity, fuel, water, food and
medicine, which threatens the survival of the more than 2 million people
living in the Gaza Strip.
Our organizations renew our call on the international community,
especially those party to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to urgently
intervene and take concrete steps to stop the killing and indiscriminate
targeted attacks on the civilian population in Gaza, and prevent the
imminent starvation and humanitarian catastrophe. We call on the
international community to put pressure on the Israeli Government to
respect its obligations under international humanitarian law. We ask for
international protection for civilians, and mechanisms to ensure the
movement of humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip to stop the
deterioration of the humanitarian situation on the ground.
We call on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, based on
the Rome Statute, to investigate Israeli crimes, especially targeting
homes and killing entire families, and to prosecute and hold accountable
every individual who has carried out or ordered the commission of these
crimes.
For media enquiries from Al-Haq, contact: zainah at alhaq.org
For media enquiries from Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, contact:
advocacy at mezan.org
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