In a scathing report released on Sunday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor denounced the Israeli army’s repeated killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, labeling them as deliberate acts of violence aimed at perpetuating genocide against the Palestinian population. The report outlines a series of harrowing incidents, including the deliberate running over of Palestinians with military vehicles and the widespread destruction of civilian property.
One particularly distressing case documented by the Geneva-based organization occurred on February 29th in Gaza City’s Al-Zaytoun neighborhood. According to eyewitnesses, a Palestinian man was subjected to harsh interrogation by Israeli soldiers before being bound with plastic zip-tie handcuffs and deliberately run over by a military vehicle. The victim, whose mutilated body was found wearing only underpants, was crushed from the bottom to the top of his body on the main Salah al-Din Street, confirming he was alive during the ordeal.
Tragically, this incident is not isolated. Euro-Med Monitor documented another horrifying event on January 23rd, where an Israeli tank ran over members of the Ghannam family as they slept in a shelter caravan in Khan Younis. The father and eldest daughter were killed, and the mother and three other children were injured. Amina, the surviving daughter, recounted the traumatic experience of witnessing her family being crushed by the tank, which left her with severe eye injuries.
Furthermore, the report details instances of Israeli tanks and bulldozers crushing displaced people inside their tents at Kamal Adwan Hospital courtyard in Beit Lahia, resulting in multiple deaths. Additionally, civilian property, including cars, has been deliberately targeted and destroyed during Israeli ground incursions into Gaza, further exacerbating the suffering of the Palestinian population.
Euro-Med Monitor asserts that these egregious violations of human rights are part of a broader Israeli effort to dehumanize and punish the Palestinian people in Gaza. The organization warns that such actions, which include premeditated murders and extrajudicial executions, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.
Despite mounting evidence and calls for accountability, the report highlights the lack of meaningful action taken to hold Israeli perpetrators accountable. Euro-Med Monitor urges the international community to fulfill its obligations and intervene to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Moreover, the organization expresses deep concern over the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) apparent inaction regarding the situation in Gaza, calling into question its independence and integrity. Euro-Med Monitor calls for the formation of independent international investigation committees to probe Israel’s military attacks on Gaza and demands that the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions visit the region to investigate these illegal killings.
As the atrocities continue unabated, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor’s report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for international intervention to end the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes against humanity.