The Israeli occupation continues its large-scale genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, with relentless air and artillery strikes killing and wounding dozens of civilians in a single day. The renewed escalation, which began eighteen days ago after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed a ceasefire agreement with blatant US political and military support, has turned Gaza into a graveyard for its people, amid unprecedented international inaction.
Since the early hours of Sunday, at least sixteen Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes targeting various areas across Gaza, including the neighbourhoods of Al-Shuja’iya, Al-Zeitoun, and Al-Amal, in addition to the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah. Homes, displacement shelters and civilian gatherings have all become deliberate targets, highlighting a systematic pattern aimed at exterminating life in the besieged territory.
Among the victims were entire families buried beneath the rubble, including a couple killed in northern Rafah and a child struck near Al-Nasr neighbourhood. Israeli drone fire and artillery shelling intensified around Al-Muntar Hill, east of Gaza City, while tanks penetrated into civilian areas. The bombing extended to the western parts of Al-Mawasi, where shelters for displaced persons were hit, resulting in casualties.
In the town of Khan Younis, the death toll from an airstrike on a residential house belonging to the Al-Aqqad family rose to eighteen, further exposing the extent of civilian suffering and destruction. The deliberate targeting of homes and displacement camps underlines a brutal Israeli policy that not only seeks mass killings but also aims to forcibly displace Gaza’s population, thereby erasing their presence from the land.
What is unfolding in Gaza is not merely a military operation; it is a full-fledged war of extermination. Israel’s strategic targeting of homes, civilians, and infrastructure reflects a calculated intention to render Gaza uninhabitable, effectively implementing a policy of mass ethnic cleansing. This is in direct violation of international law and the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The death toll since the beginning of the assault on 7 October 2023 has exceeded 165,000 people killed or injured, the majority of whom are children and women, with over 11,000 still missing under the rubble. These figures are a damning testament to the scale of atrocities being committed with impunity. The destruction of hospitals, the prevention of humanitarian aid, and the repeated targeting of civilians and aid workers all point to systematic war crimes.
With the near-total collapse of Gaza’s civil infrastructure due to Israel’s siege and military blockade, and the intensification of strikes in densely populated areas, the humanitarian catastrophe is rapidly spiralling out of control. The international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable and its continued support for this assault embolden the perpetrators and deepen the suffering of more than two million Palestinians trapped in the enclave.
As a human rights platform, we reiterate that what is happening in Gaza must be recognised and treated as an ongoing genocide. We call for an urgent international investigation, an immediate halt to all military operations, and the prosecution of those responsible for war crimes under international law.
