The Israeli occupation army continues to perpetrate massacres as part of the genocide it has been waging against the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023.
In the early hours of Saturday, the occupation forces killed 17 Palestinians and injured others in a series of airstrikes across the Strip.
Medical sources reported that the bombardment targeted several locations, most notably the home of the Al-Khour family in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City, where 10 Palestinians were killed after the house was bombed while its residents were inside.
The Civil Defence Department confirmed that several people remain missing under the rubble, amid major challenges facing rescue efforts due to the extensive destruction.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian was killed in a strike targeting the Izbat Beit Hanoun area in the north of the Strip, while another was killed in an attack on the Al-Shuja’iyya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza.
Occupation forces also targeted a home belonging to the Abu Abdu family in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, resulting in the death of three Palestinians and injuries of varying degrees to others.
The occupation’s assaults continued with an attack on a fishing boat off the coast of Al-Zawayda, in central Gaza, leaving six fishermen wounded, according to a statement from Al-Awda Hospital.
Israeli artillery also shelled a tent sheltering displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, leading to injuries among civilians who had already fled combat zones.
The targeting of civilians and civilian objects in Gaza constitutes a grave breach under international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions, particularly the Fourth Convention, expressly prohibit attacks on populations under occupation and obligate warring parties to protect their lives and property.
Deliberate bombardment of homes, shelters, and civilian facilities amounts to a fully-fledged war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Since the onset of the assault on Gaza in October 2023, the Strip has been subjected to a systematic campaign of killing and destruction, clearly amounting to genocide. This has involved the deliberate and repeated targeting of civilians, especially children and women, along with a comprehensive blockade preventing access to food, medicine, and basic necessities.
The number of dead and wounded has surpassed 168,000, with thousands more missing, amid the international community’s failure to halt these crimes or hold those responsible accountable.
These practices do not fall within the scope of conventional military operations but instead reflect an organised policy aimed at annihilating a protected population under international law, through physical extermination, mass starvation, and systematic destruction of residential and civilian infrastructure.
