EU workers hold symbolic funeral for Rafah attack victims

BRUSSELS

EU employees on Thursday held a symbolic funeral for victims of Israeli attacks in Rafah, the southern Gazan city it invaded on May 6.

Employees from different institutions gathered in front of the commission and council buildings, lying down in shrouds and carrying posters of bloody hands, and demanded complying with international law and an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Manus Carlisle, one of the organizers, told Anadolu they held the symbolic funeral to drew attention to people killed in Rafah with attacks "defying international law and the orders of the International Court of Justice.”

Carlisle said the 27-member bloc must prioritize international law in its relations with all third countries without exception.

EU workers had a similar gathering at the same location on May 8, arguing that international law, EU treaties and the UN Genocide Convention were "dead."

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 killing more than 36,000 people, injuring many more and reducing the territory to rubble. The onslaught has also left most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.

It's Sunday airstrike on a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah triggered a fire and killed at least 45 civilians, mostly women and children.