Israel Bombs Schools to Force People Out of Gaza

The Israeli army is increasingly targeting schools that provide shelter for the displaced population in Gaza City, killing and wounding hundreds of them in the process. It has also issued orders for the illegal forced evacuation of Gaza from the north to the south, in a systematic effort fueled by revenge to drive residents from their homes and places of displacement and rob them of any stability.

In just eight days, Israeli aircraft attacked nine schools in Gaza City that served as shelters for thousands of displaced people. They destroyed the schools above the heads of the occupants, killing 79 Palestinians and injuring 143 more—mostly women and children—in addition to several other victims who were buried beneath the rubble and could not be retrieved due to the lack of the necessary tools.

The latest of these attacks occurred on Thursday, 8 August, at 3:00 p.m. when Israeli aircraft bombed the Al-Zahraa and Abdul Fattah Hamouda schools in the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood east of Gaza City, where thousands of displaced people are housed. The attack resulted in the deaths of 17 civilians and the injuries of dozens more, many of whom were women and children.  Sixteen more were reportedly missing under the rubble

Last Sunday, on 4 August, Israeli aircraft bombed the Al-Nasr and Hassan Salama schools in Gaza City, killing 30 Palestinians and wounding 19 others. The day before, Israeli planes attacked four schools in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of eastern Gaza that were being used as shelter centres; 17 Palestinians were killed and 60 others were injured in the attack. Earlier this month, Israeli aircraft bombed the Dalal Al-Maghribi school in the Shuja’iyya neighbourhood of eastern Gaza, leaving 15 dead and 29 injured.

Although the Israeli army repeatedly attempts to justify the bombings by claiming that they target military or political figures, without providing evidence to support these claims, the bombing and destruction of schools above the heads of displaced people inside them has no valid justification and serves no military purposes.

Initial investigations by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor’s field team indicate that the Israeli army deliberately destroyed the remaining shelter centres to deny Palestinians the few remaining places to seek refuge after the systematic destruction of homes and shelters, including schools and public facilities, over the past ten months.

By continuing to bomb the entire Gaza Strip and concentrating on shelters, such as those housed in UNRWA schools, the Israeli bombing strategy clearly indicates a policy intended to deprive Palestinians of security and stability, if only temporarily.

In the course of their ten-month military attack on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continue to bomb civilian targets, kill large numbers of civilians, target refugee centres—the majority of which are housed in UN facilities—and carry out mass murders there, all of which are considered crimes against humanity and full-fledged war crimes.

The last four days have seen new forced evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents in Khan Yunis, the central governorate, and northern Gaza. These events coincide with the policy of bombing shelter centres in Gaza City, suggesting that Israel is purposefully stepping up the evacuation orders to force Palestinians to leave their destroyed homes without even the option to resettle in nearby tents.

In its crime of genocide, ongoing since 7 October, Israel has adopted a systematic policy of targeting the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, in blatant disregard of the civilian protections mandated by international humanitarian law. This includes Israel’s targeting of areas designated as humanitarian zones, as well as its increased bombing of shelters and relocation centres over the heads of the displaced in an effort to impose forced relocation and destroy all essentials of life.

A series of displacement orders targeting large residential communities in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, have been issued by the Israeli army in recent days. The most recent of these orders was issued on Thursday evening, 8 August, and it included all of the eastern towns of Khan Yunis as well as the city centre’s neighbourhoods, Sheikh Nasser, Al-Satar, and Al-Mahta, which are communities with over 200,000 residents. These orders coincided with aerial and artillery bombardment and the beginning of a ground incursion into the eastern outskirts of the city.

Concurrently, the Israeli army distributed incitement leaflets against leaders of the Palestinian factions. This suggests that the purpose of these directives and military actions is not military necessity but rather acts of incitement and retaliation against the locals and displaced people, whom Israel targets to exact political pressure and retaliation

Last Wednesday the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents in Beit Hanoun town and the Al-Manshiya and Sheikh Zayed neighbourhoods in northern Gaza, ordering them to head to the west of Gaza City, which was also bombed. The following day, the evacuation order was modified to direct residents to relocate to the central Gaza Strip, to Al-Zawayda and Deir al-Balah. These areas were heavily targeted by Israeli raids and bombings, including one that destroyed tents housing displaced people inside the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians and the injuries of eighteen more.

Civilians in the Gaza Strip are paying the price for Israeli military attacks that violate with impunity the rules of international humanitarian law, especially the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity.

Accordingly, all countries must fulfil their international obligations by enacting effective sanctions against Israel and ceasing all forms of military, political, and financial assistance. This includes immediately cutting off arms exports to Israel; otherwise, these nations must be found to be complicit in crimes that have been committed in the Gaza Strip, including genocide.

As genocide is one of the international crimes that the International Criminal Court is mandated to investigate, it is imperative that the Court move forward with its investigation of all crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, broaden its investigation into all individuals responsible for these crimes, and issue arrest warrants against them.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

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Israel: Making Gaza Uninhabitable

After more than 300 days of war, over 15,000 children have been reported killed. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Ground incursions and heavy fighting persist with 86% of Gaza’s areas under forced evacuation.

The humanitarian “safe zone” is under repeated attacks and evacuations, severely limiting humanitarian operations and forcing food distribution points and kitchens to close and evacuate.

Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been reported killed, up to 70% being women and children, and over 91,000 have been reported injured. Additionally, it is estimated that more than 10,000 people are missing under the rubble. Over 6% of the entire population of the Strip has been either killed, injured or is missing.

The indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, schools, UN and INGO facilities, and residential buildings have caused massive destruction. More than 60% of residential buildings and 80% of commercial facilities have been damaged or destroyed, including 57% of cropland, limiting the functionality of the food system.

This is while 88% of all schools sustained damages and 650,000 students are impeded to attend classes.

Out of 36 hospitals, only 16 are partially functioning, of which 11 are partially accessible due to insecurity or physical barriers, such as damage to entrances and surrounding roads. Very heavy restrictions on humanitarian access, lack of adequate medical care and prevention measures have entailed the spread of diseases, including Hepatitis A, especially among children in overcrowded shelters.

Polio has been detected in water in some areas of Gaza, which raises fears of an outbreak.

Humanitarian Access

Israel allowed less than 1,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza in July, compared to the pre-war average of 500 truckloads per day, including fuel. This situation exacerbates the breakdown of law and order, which continues to pose challenges for aid delivery in Gaza. Rafah crossing remains closed by the Israeli forces.

West Bank

Security in the West Bank is sharply deteriorating, with hundreds of Palestinian deaths, thousands of arrests, and severe mobility restrictions impacting daily life. Since 7 October, at least 605 fatalities were registered among Palestinians, including 144 children.

Nearly 3,600 Palestinians, including over 1,600 children, have been displaced, due to settler violence and intimidation, home demolitions, and destruction of residences during militarized law enforcement operations.

Reliefweb

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Boy Clings to Shoes of His Dad Killed by Israeli Bombs

A heart-wrenching scene from a funeral in Gaza shows a Palestinian child clinging to his father’s shoe. His father was killed by the ongoing Israeli bombardment of civilian areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli genocide on Gaza continues after 10 months with the number of martyrs topping the 39,000-mark and those injured standing at over 91,000.

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Trekking Ireland For Gaza

An Irish man is driving the length of Ireland along the 2,800km Wild Atlantic Way in a slow-moving open-top vintage tractor to raise funds for the people of Gaza.

Pat Murphy, a teacher and father of four from Corofin, Galway, will brave the elements in his 1962 David Brown 850, which can only reach a maximum speed of 24kph.

The drive from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork should only take eight hours in a modern vehicle on a more direct route, but Pat expects his tractor will do it in about two weeks taking the coastal Wild Atlantic Way.

“The tractor can probably do a maximum speed of 24kph so it will be a long journey, but for a very worthy cause,” said Pat, who teaches woodwork at Wesley College Dublin and lives in Sallins, Kildare with his family.

“It is a 62 year old David Brown that has been fully restored. It has no power steering or cabin, just fresh air. If it rains, I’ll be just going through it.

“There is no suspension either and not a lot of comfort so I will have an extra cushion on the seat, which will make a huge difference.

“I will also be wearing a lot of factor 50 and a sombrero hat to protect me from the sun and it can actually get very cool in an open top tractor so I have a heavy coat with me too.”

He began his trek, Thursday 1 August, at 2pm at Malin Head and was accompanied by his friend Tony Harrison from Ballina in Mayo who will be driving a camper van where he will sleep each night.

All proceeds will go to the humanitarian aid organisation Concern Worldwide and its Gaza appeal. Pat chose Concern because of his past involvement with the charity as a volunteer in Rwanda in 1995 and 1996 after the brutal genocide that occurred there.

“I really value the work that Concern does, especially after working for them in refugee camps after the Rwanda genocide,” he said.

“The people of Gaza really need our help today. Anybody who has been the pictures on television knows that the people there need our support.”

Another friend, Brendan Joyce, transported Pat’s tractor from Corofin, where he grew up, to Malin Head and will collect it when they reach Ireland’s most south-westerly point at Mizen Head.

Pat hopes to raise at least €5,000 on his GoFundMe page called ‘Malin to Mizen – Charity Tractor Run for Concern’ and has already raised over €3,000.

Pat said they plan to drive for eight hours each day and to take 15 minute breaks every two hours. He said they are looking forward to driving through the many towns and villages that dot the Wild Atlantic Way.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/malin-to-mizen-charity-tractor-run-for-concern

“We will have signs up on the vehicles to show people how they can support us on our GoFundMe page and I will be posting my progress of the journey each day on my Facebook and Instagram pages,” he said.

To support Pat Murphy’s tractor fundraising trek for Gaza, go to his GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/f7046b8d and his Instagram page is called Murphsmeander_malintomizen.

Reliefweb

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Cemeteries: Even The Dead Are Attacked in Gaza

Mohammed Abu Tayr is trying to put together what can be restored of his father’s grave in the family plot in the Bani Suhaila Cemetery east of Khan Yunis, who died years ago. He is one of the lucky ones because others tried to find the graves of their loved ones but failed according to the Palestine Information Center (PIC).

The Israeli occupation’s military vehicles wreaked havoc and destruction of the Bani Suhaila Cemetery during its last incursion of east of Khan Yunis that began on 22 July and lasted for eight days.

Abu Tayr said he was shocked at the bulldozing of the cemetery and the sight of graves being tampered with, trampled on and bodies exhumed by Israeli machinery. Its sheer desecration.

There is no sanctity for the dead. “What is the fault of the dead in their graves? What did they do to have their dignity and sanctity violated,” he asked.

After the Israeli army left, residents of the area flocked to the cemetery to try to restore and repair what has been completely bulldozed by the Israeli occupation forces.

Where is my mother’s grave?

On the opposite side of the cemetery, Ghaida Abu Tayem sits in tears. She tells the PIC reporter she cannot find her mother’s grave after the Israeli army bulldozed the cemetery. Here, there is no regard for human feelings and values.

The Bani Suhaila cemetery is not the only graveyard the Israeli occupation forces dug up and tombstones willfully destroyed. The Israeli army ravaged all cemeteries in the areas invaded by Israeli ground forces across the Gaza Strip.

And this is the case with the main cemetery in Khan Yunis, west of the city. There, the exhumation and devastation of the graves show the deep-seated hatred Zionists have to the Palestinians, whether dead or alive. Even in death, soldiers wish these graves to disappear and be wiped out.

The PIC reporter stresses that the features of the cemetery are completely changed with the bones of the dead scattered by the Zionist barbarians, with the cemetery being turned into a blasted battlefield.

In addition to destroying and bombing the main cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers dug up and bulldozed the mass and temporary graves hastily made in the courtyards of hospitals, neighborhoods and streets. This makes it difficult to transfer the bodies to the cemeteries.

In a previous statement, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor documented the Israeli occupation army’s attacks on many cemeteries in the Gaza Strip by deliberately bulldozing them, digging up and vandalizing graves and stealing dozens of bodies in the midst of the ongoing genocide against Palestinian civilians since 7 October 2023.

Mrs. Nour Nasser, a resident of Gaza City who was displaced to areas in the southern part of the Strip, said her martyred brother, “Mohammed, who was in his 20s was buried in the Al-Batsh cemetery in Gaza in dismembered remains, but they were shocked to find out later, the cemetery was bulldozed and there was no longer any trace of her brother.

 The Israeli army did not stop at killing my brother, but also deprived the family of even visiting his grave,” she added.

In another incident, the Israeli army raided a cemetery in Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City with its military vehicles, and exhumed more than a 1000 graves; that was a month ago. The residents of the neighborhood said that the Israeli soldiers stole more than 150 bodies of newly buried people there.

On 25 December 2023, Euro-Med reported it received several testimonies about the Israeli army bulldozing the Beit Hanoun cemetery north of the Gaza Strip and vandalizing its graves.

“Muhammad Abu Awad” from downtown Beit Hanoun said they were taken by surprise when the Israeli army stormed the town’s cemetery and destroying the graves with their military vehicles.

Abu Awad added they observed the Israeli army’s digging operations of specific graves inside the cemetery and stealing the bodies of recently buried people while the remains of the others were mixed together to make it difficult to identify any of them.

By destroying the cemeteries, Israel did not leave any sanctity that was not violated or sins not committed. Today it is trying to annihilate everything in the Gaza Strip, even the dead.

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