Israel bombed 126 shelters in Gaza since 7 October, rights group says

Israel has bombed 126 shelters housing displaced Palestinian families in the besieged Gaza Strip since 7 October,  killing at least 851 civilians, most of them women and children, a Palestinian human rights organisation said yesterday.

Al-Dameer Foundation for Human Rights said Israel’s targeting of shelters comes within the framework of its genocide against the defenseless civilian population in the Gaza Strip, adding that the Israeli army has deliberately bombed civil defence personnel in shelters; most of them are volunteers who help organise the distribution of aid and assistance to the displaced.

“The Israeli occupation army has deliberately bombed schools used as shelters with large bombs in a clear and blatant challenge to the basic principles of international humanitarian law, including the distinction between civilians and combatants, the prohibition of attacking those hors de combat, the prohibition of causing unnecessary suffering” and others, it added in a statement.

The Palestinian rights watchdog stressed that targeting shelters is a systematic policy that reflects an official government policy and instructions from the Israeli political level, adding that it is considered a war crime according to the Rome Statute.

Accordingly, the foundation called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to stop the crime of genocide, impose a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and ensure Israel’s compliance with the rules of international law and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s interim rulings to prevent the commission of the crime of genocide.

Read: At least 8 killed in Israeli strikes on ‘humanitarian zone’ in southern Gaza