Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, emphasizes that the continuation of the Israeli targeting of civilians and civil objects, through shelling and bombardment, reflects a clear military and strategic failure. Nine months after the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which is accompanied by restricted siege and wielding starvation, as one of the war tools, the Israeli forces are back to target civilians and civil objects in the Gaza Strip, intensively. In particular, the Israeli army is targeting mainly Al Tufah, Al Daraj, and the Old City as well as other quarters of the Gaza City. Last night, Gaza City witnessed the most violent shelling in the last few months, where civic objects and houses were shelled. Thousands of persons were displaced from their homes and pushed outdoors where they slept in open unsafe areas. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip escape death to another death and killing is persuading them everywhere.
The Center affirms that the continuation of the Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip, since October 7, 2023, caused more than 38 thousand martyrs and 88 thousand wounded, in addition to more than 10 thousand missed persons. More than 2 million persons were displaced from their houses and the infrastructure was demolished. Search and Rescue Trams are not allowed to work in the Gaza Strip due to the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation. All these practices reveal the true face of the Occupation and its government, which is applying a systematic policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The policies of the occupation are dedicated to uprooting Palestinians from their land and ending their national question. The Israeli occupation denies all the international and human values as well as violates the International Law and International Human Rights Law.
The Center denounces the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian civilians and innocents as well as targeting the civic objects and buildings. The crimes of the occupation reflect the insistence of the occupation on killing and murdering the maximum possible number of Palestinians. These crimes are committed in front of the world, which aligns with the occupation in its practices against Palestinians. The world is providing political coverage to the occupation and equipping its state with all types of weapons and lethal to proceed with the crimes against Palestinian civilians. Such a stance reveals the applied policy of double standards in dealing with human issues and the profound violations of international law and international human rights law, by these countries that keep arguing for adopting and promoting human values as well as promoting the principles of human rights and democracy.
SHAMS Center asserts that targeting Palestinians who cue to receive aid, and imposing a restricted siege, and wielding starvation as well as denying the entry of food and relief supplies, stand as forms of collective punishment. These practices represent violations of the international law and international human rights law. In particular, the Occupying power violates Article 15 of the Geneva Fourth Convention (dated 12/8/1949), which entitles civilians to specific protection during war and armed conflicts where civilians who have no role in wars and conflicts, should be protected. Furthermore, the occupation breaks Article 18 of the same Convention, which states: “Civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict”. Similarly, the occupation violates the Second Optional Protocol annexed to the Geneva Conventions and dedicated to protecting civilians under war ans armed conflicts. In particular, the occupation violates Article 14 of the given protocol, which states: “Starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited. It is therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless, for that purpose”, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies, and irrigation works”. Moreover, it violates international human rights law, mainly Article 8 of the Rome Statute, which states: “Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives”, are considered war crimes.
SHAMS Center calls upon permanent state members of the United Nations Security Council, High Parties signatories of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the OPT, the International Commission of the Red Cross, and Governmental/ Nongovernmental Organizations, to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities towards protecting Palestinians and exert pressure on the Occupation State to stop its crimes and targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, there should be pressure imposed on the occupation to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and enable the entry of relief aid regularly, through the wild crossing points borders.