Israel kills 103 Gazans, injures 223 others every day: Rights group

ISTANBUL

Israeli forces kill at least 103 Palestinians and injure 223 others every day in attacks in the Gaza Strip, a Geneva-based rights group said on Thursday.

“Since resuming its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, Israel has been killing at least 103 Palestinians and injuring 223 more every day,” the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement.

“Additionally, it never stopped employing other genocide tactics prior to 18 March, and has imposed lethal living conditions since 7 October 2023 designed to eradicate the Palestinian population in the Strip, including starvation and the tightening of its illegal blockade.”

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing 855 people, injuring nearly 1,900 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

The assault came as Tel Aviv continued to close Gaza’s border crossings, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and food supplies to the territory’s 2.4 million population.

“The Israeli occupation army also continues to bomb homes with occupants still inside, killing large numbers of people,” the rights group said.

“Without any military justification, the Israeli occupation army has committed the crime of targeting homes – or what is left of them – every day, including targeting tents where civilians have sought safety following almost 18 months of genocide,” it said.

“This is a clear component of a systematic Israeli policy that aims to kill Palestinians, ruin their lives, and impose a horrific reality that makes it impossible to survive.”

The Euro-Med Monitor cited testimonies that Palestinian civilians were shot dead by Israeli forces while trying to escape, leaving their bodies lying in the streets.

“Around 50,000 civilians are still confined to a small geographic area in Rafah while Israeli military activities, such as shelling, bombing, and raids, are taking place around them.

“In just one week, over 200,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been forced to leave their homes, and thousands more are preparing to leave by looking for temporary housing. Meanwhile, basic services and security remain unavailable across the Strip,” it said.

The rights group said that international silence emboldens Israel to continue its assaults against the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Israel’s complete disregard for the rules of international law – rules that give UN headquarters and employees special protection – alone is an international crime of the highest calibre that needs to be addressed right away.”

It called on all countries to fulfill their legal obligations and “act quickly to halt the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

“The Palestinian civilians there must be protected in every way possible; the blockade must be lifted completely and immediately; the movement of people and goods must be unhindered; all crossings must be opened without arbitrary conditions; and effective measures must be taken to protect Palestinians from the slow killing and forced displacement plans of Israel and the United States.”

More than 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,900 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.