Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor Archives

Israel’s Masked Gangs in Gaza

CrossFireArabia
January 6, 2025

As part of its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Israel is attempting to destroy the security and justice structures in the enclave by undermining public order. Israel’s inhumane strategy is designed to guarantee the Palestinians’ annihilation of one another without resorting to direct military action itself.

In order to spread chaos and insecurity as part of its genocidal war and create disastrous conditions that will result in the destruction of Palestinians in the Strip as a whole, the Israeli army has attempted to target members of the security and civil police forces as well as individuals working to coordinate the entry of humanitarian aid. Since the start of its genocide on 7 October 2023, Israel has been targeting members of these groups or teams while they are working and even while they are in their homes or shelters.

Chaos

The state of chaos brought about by the breakdown of the security system due to the Israeli army’s permitting of organized gangs to enter areas under its military control in order to steal humanitarian aid has resulted in the concerning rise of armed groups. These groups are composed of masked individuals who carry out coordinated attacks against civilians under a variety of pretexts, including “defending aid”, in egregious violation of civilians’ basic rights and dignity, which are guaranteed by international law.

Due to the chaos and the breakdown of the security system in the Gaza Strip, some families have started using weapons to settle disputes among themselves. This has resulted in the rise of individual retaliation and the spread of disputes and revenge through illegal means.

In addition to being a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law, Israel’s approach makes the population’s dire humanitarian situation worse. Israel’s 15-month-long genocide in Gaza has systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure, undermining political institutions and increasing the suffering of the civilian populace in ways never seen before in Gaza.

Masked Men

The Euro-Med Monitor field team has documented numerous instances in which anonymous masked men handcuffed individuals and physically assaulted or shot them—under the guise of these individuals’ involvement in thefts, attacks on private property and aid trucks, or trafficking in stolen goods—either by severely beating them or shooting them in the limbs. These actions are occurring outside of the legal system, i.e. without any legal processes to protect the rights of the accused, including their right to an investigation into accusations made against them. This is a blatant violation of fundamental rights and human dignity, and represents a grave lack of justice.

The systematic Israeli targeting of the police and security systems in the Gaza Strip makes it crucial to find effective mechanisms to control security and maintain community peace. However, any measures must be implemented within the approved legal frameworks, guaranteeing respect for people’s human dignity and the protection of their basic rights without any violations or transgressions.

Deliberate Destruction

The aforementioned violations are part of a deliberate Israeli strategy to destroy the Gaza Strip’s security and justice system by bombing official and makeshift police stations, judicial institutions, and police officers and staff, including local security personnel representing private companies or civil committees. The targeting of Palestinian courts and prisons by gangs backed by Israel in an effort to sow disarray and undermine stability is another example of the violations.

In addition to impairing the police’s capacity to maintain internal security, the Israeli occupation army’s frequent targeting of police officers or their makeshift checkpoints strikes fear in the hearts of the populace and keeps them from using these checkpoints to lodge complaints, which encourages the use of force and increases the tendency for people to take matters into their own hands, further destabilising the weakened security situation.

It is essential to uphold the values of justice and human dignity and to guarantee that those suspected of violating them are treated humanely and with discipline.

Regulating this situation and ensuring that any party tasked with upholding community security follows the law and respects human dignity are obligations of the Gaza Strip’s authorities and the relevant Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas. However, the international community must apply more pressure on Israel to cease attacking the Strip’s justice system and police, which are vital civil institutions. Ending Israel’s crime of genocide and all of its manifestations, including direct and indirect acts intended to systematically exterminate the Palestinian people, is the radical solution to all humanitarian crises in the enclave.

Euro-Med Monitor emphasizes that justice and dignity for the Palestinian people can only be attained by putting an end to Israel’s persistent crimes and violations.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

Features

Israel is Killing Gaza’s Professional Sector

CrossFireArabia
December 17, 2024

In the current genocide on Gaza Israel has been deliberately targeting and killing all members of society including those from the professional sector, including lawyers, judges, doctors, teachers, artists and much more.

Euro-Med Monitor’s review of the Israeli military’s targeting records and victim lists reveals a systematic, widespread policy of killing and assassinating Palestinian elites and those with competencies in various sectors.

The number of Palestinian medical personnel who have been killed since 7 October 2023 is 1,057, and more than 135 scientists and academics have also been killed. Professor Abdel Salam Abu Zaida is the latest of these victims, having been killed along with six other Palestinians in an Israeli raid on Gaza City’s Al-Malash building Wednesday evening, 11 December, 2024.

The lists of targeted elites also include journalists, 196 of whom have been killed since 7 October 2023, as well as people with knowledge of computer engineering, programming, and information technology, plus other influential people in these crucial spheres of society.

🚨Breaking : Israel has killed Dr. Hassan Al-Baba, Ph.D. in international law.
He now joins his mother, sister, and her two young children ,, all killed by Israeli army’s just two weeks ago in #Gaza ! pic.twitter.com/v75BiUb1tl
— Nour Naim| نُور (@NourNaim88) October 27, 2024

Israel’s crimes, which include the targeted and intentional killing of Palestinian intellectual elites and talents as well as the widespread and intentional destruction of businesses and infrastructure, are likely to impede the advancement of Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip overall; threaten its scientific, educational, and economic system; and deprive its vital sectors of prestigious and specialised cadres that will be difficult to replace in the near future, the Monitor explained. The killings are also bound to instill fear among the remaining talents.

These crimes occur in the context of overt Israeli policies that seek to render the Gaza Strip uninhabitable by eradicating basic life structures and individuals with valuable competencies. Given the magnitude and breadth of Israel’s efforts, its crimes could immoblise Palestinian society in the Strip by preventing it from developing, building, or recovering from this genocide.

The United Nations and all nations must therefore carry out their international legal duties to prevent the continuation of Israel’s crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip; impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel; hold it responsible and punish it for all of its crimes; take all necessary steps to protect Palestinian civilians in the Strip; defend medical personnel and health facilities in the enclave from any further targeting; and act swiftly, without hindrance, and in a way that satisfies the needs of all residents of the Gaza Strip, especially those in the northern areas. The complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip must be ensured.

Features

Tired Gaza Voices Speak of Israeli Atrocities

CrossFireArabia
July 21, 2024

The Israeli army is escalating its targeting of all aspects and basic elements of life in the Gaza and North Gaza governorates, in an attempt to render them uninhabitable and force their citizens to evacuate to the southern governorates according to Euromed Monitors.

In its 10th month of continuing genocide, the Israeli army is intensifying its attacks with mass killings, starvation, deprivation of medical care, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, torture, and forced evacuations.

Israeli airstrikes against the Gaza Strip have expanded to target every basic aspects of daily life. These include direct targeting of vendors at their stands, Internet distribution centers, and areas where people gather, including where women fill water containers or prepare food, in addition to the ongoing targeting of homes and shelters.

Israel destroys all basic conditions for life in northern Gaza, targets residents, forcing another round of displacement by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor https://t.co/36Xst3Mnlx via @countercurrents
— Countercurrents.org (@Countercurrents) July 21, 2024

Blocking any attempt to restore even the barest necessities of life in Gaza City and North Gaza governorates, the Israeli army appears to aim to force residents to comply with the orders it continues to issue to evacuate all inhabitants of the two governorates.

Israeli fire on women cooking

On Saturday, 20 July, at around 9 a.m., the Israeli army opened fire on several women who were cooking and filling water containers in their home. Noura Al-Sabbagh, 28, was killed, and several others were injured during the attack, one of whom was in critical condition. The incident occurred in the hallway of a home in the Zarqa neighbourhood of northern Gaza.

Israeli military has used psychological pressure on Palestinian civilians by broadcasting hundreds of thousands of voice messages via phones, ordering them to evacuate their homes and go to the south of the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/2dlwcWgPwP
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 21, 2024

Saif Ali Al-Sabbagh told Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor: “We suddenly heard the sound of a missile fired by an Israeli drone, targeting the women who were in the house’s corridor working on preparing food without prior notice. Noura Al-Sabbagh was standing close to the stove when the missile’s fragments instantly killed her. The rest of the women were brought to the Baptist Hospital with injuries described by the medical teams as moderate and serious. One of the women suffered a serious injury. This totally unnecessary bombing caught us off guard. The area quickly filled with blood and shrapnel, with women being specifically targeted.”

On Tuesday, 2 July, 10 Palestinians were killed by Israeli artillery shells, including a child and a disabled person, as they gathered to fill water containers in the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood south of Gaza City.

Thirty-four-year-old Muhammad Khaled Al-Malahi described what happened, saying: “At 11.30 a.m., as I was leaving the house, I saw an artillery shell (fired by Israeli tanks) falling on people, children, and young people, who were lining up to fill and transport water to their homes next to the Al-Shamaa Mosque, which was destroyed by the Israeli army at the onset of the war. After the shell fell, people fell to the ground and left the water gallons empty, and we began transporting the victims on animal-drawn carts to the Baptist Hospital.”

Massive destruction in northern Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli genocide pic.twitter.com/Z4yGD5lVS0
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 21, 2024

“This is not the first time that people have bottled water in the Shamaa area. Ever since the war started, people of all ages—men, women, and children—have been arriving at the Shamaa area to fill water containers and then carry it back to their homes. Adjacent to the mosque’s debris lies a water filling station with food, candy, and nut stalls. It is a bustling neighbourhood with constant public movement and a high concentration of displaced people, particularly after the ongoing Israeli invasion of the Shujaiya neighbourhood,” he said.

Shooting at vendors

On Tuesday, 26 June, Euro-Med Monitor documented the killing of three Palestinians, Jawad Ali Al-Zabut, 40, his son Ali, 18, and Mahmoud Fouad Zahra in an Israeli attack on a group of vendors in downtown Gaza City. Four other people were injured in the attack.

Speaking to Euro-Med Monitor, Dawoud Al-Zabut provided the following information regarding the targeting of Jawad and his son: “Jawad and his son go out every day to sell in the streets where residents pass by, like the intersection where families congregate west of Gaza City. For the past two months, Jawad has operated a small stand where he sells candies to help support his displaced family. He and his son Ali were on their mat at 8:30 a.m. when a reconnaissance plane fired a missile into the area. The missile fragments killed both of them, while his brother’s sons were injured.”

Days after designating specific routes as safe, to allow people to escape to the south without being subject to inspections, Israeli forces sent voice messages to residents of these two governorates, requesting that they evacuate to the south of the Gaza Valley amid the ongoing airstrikes and artillery shelling.

Civil defense teams recover multiple casualties following an Israeli airstrike on the Ghorab family home in the Nuseirat camp, central Gaza Strip, last night. pic.twitter.com/zrrgx7ur9f
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 21, 2024

In testimony provided to Euro-Med Monitor, however, it was revealed that the Israeli army tracks individuals moving through the designated passageways on Salah al-Din Road and Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City using electronic monitoring equipment.

According to an anonymous eyewitness, the Israeli army equipped an escape corridor with monitoring devices. Israeli forces were stationed several metres away, and soldiers controlled who was allowed to pass by illuminating a green light for passage or a red light for no entry and exposure to direct fire.

The witness saw numerous bodies of displaced people who had been shot during their evacuation attempt and had been left to bleed to death. Among them was a man on an animal-drawn cart; a military bulldozer intervened to remove both the man and the cart from the area.

Moving under the bombs

Residents are being directed to relocate to the central Gaza Strip by the Israeli army, which last week intensified aerial bombardment of the area and launched dozens of raids that resulted in the deaths of over 160 people, most of them women and children, including a sizable number of displaced individuals.

Israel plans to exterminate the Gaza Strip’s population by starvation and murder, as well as the destruction of all fundamental elements of existence. This includes attacking the UN headquarters and its shelters and carrying out mass killings there, all of which are unquestionably international crimes.

A grieving child in Gaza bids a sorrowful farewell to a loved family member killed by Israeli forces. pic.twitter.com/cfYelOhKDC
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 21, 2024

By targeting UNRWA schools functioning as shelter centers, Israeli bombing tactics demonstrate a deliberate intention to prevent security across the entire Gaza Strip and deny displaced Palestinians stability or shelter, even if that shelter is only temporary.

According to UNRWA, Israel has bombed 190—more than half—of the agency’s facilities in the Gaza Strip, some of them more than once since the genocide began. As a result, thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed and injured while seeking refuge.

War-ravaged enclave

By UN estimates, 1.9 million people in the war-ravaged enclave are internally displaced, including some individuals who have now been displaced up to nine or 10 times. Israel’s evacuation orders, its widespread damage to both public and private infrastructure, restrictions on access to essential services, and the ongoing Israeli violence constitute the main causes of the mass displacement waves.

Given these facts, all nations must fulfill their international obligations by enacting strong sanctions against Israel and severing all political, financial, and military support and cooperation. This should include immediately halting arms transfers to Israel, including export permits and military aid; otherwise, these nations will be held accountable for the crimes that have been committed in the Gaza Strip, including genocide.

A boy sustains injuries in an Israeli airstrike on the Ghorab family home in the Nuseirat camp, central Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/IgxlJfP1PV
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 21, 2024

Furthermore, accountability must be established at the local, regional, and global levels. Working diligently and cooperatively to pave the way for universal jurisdiction will enable national courts to hold accountable the perpetrators of crimes against Palestinian civilians.

Additionally, the International Criminal Court must continue to investigate any and all crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip; broaden its investigation into criminal responsibility of all parties, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, in order to hold all perpetrators accountable; issue arrest warrants for those responsible; and acknowledge and address Israel’s crimes in the Strip as international crimes that fall under the purview of the International Criminal Court and are clearly crimes of genocide.

This article is reproduced from Euromed Monitors.