GENEVA, Sunday, May 14, 2023 (WAFA) – The bombing and destruction of civilian homes by Israeli warplanes falls within the scope of collective punishment, and is practiced extensively by Israel against Palestinians, said Euro-Med Monitor in a statement.
Euro-Med Monitor added that that “Israel’s army has killed multiple civilians in its ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip, while Israeli authorities have closed vital crossings to the Strip and disrupted the flow of vital humanitarian aid including food, medicines, medical supplies, and fuel.”
The Israeli military attack on the Strip had resulted in the deaths of 33 people in Gaza, according to data supplied by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the dead included six children and three women. An additional 111 others had been injured.
“These casualties occurred as a result of airstrikes targeting locations where Israel’s army had prior knowledge of civilian presence, which potentially constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” the statement pointed out.
Euro-Med Monitor continued, “Using advanced enough technologies and methods, such as so-called smart munitions, the Israeli army and intelligence services are able to accurately ascertain the identity of individuals within the direct range of impact during strikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The Israeli military did not abide by the principles of international humanitarian law in its attack on the Gaza Strip, then, particularly the principles of necessity and proportionality.”
Euro-Med Monitor said they documented four separate incidents in which the Israeli army targeted alleged wanted persons despite their presence with their families, including their children. These actions resulted in the immediate deaths of the family members.
Since the beginning of its most recent attack, the Israeli army has closed all vital crossings it controls into the Gaza Strip, causing disastrous disruptions to the flow of essential supplies including food, medicines, basic medical supplies, and fuel. The closure of the Erez crossing—the only crossing from Gaza into Israel as well as other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory—has made it impossible for hundreds of patients suffering from serious diseases to travel to hospitals in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel for treatment; this situation could lead to the serious deterioration of their health, with potentially fatal consequences.
This latest Israeli bombardment has brought life in the various cities of the Gaza Strip to a halt. The majority of Gazan workers, including around 17,000 individuals employed in Israel, have ceased working. As a result, breadwinners face extra difficulties in securing basic necessities for their families.
M.N
