Amnesty International on Thursday accused Hamas of violating international law by carrying out summary executions and capturing hostages, and Israel of committing war crimes by blocking water, food and fuel in the Gaza Strip.
According to the international human rights organization, both sides in the armed conflict in the region have been committing serious crimes and showing disrespect for human life since last Saturday.
“Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have violated international law” by “committing brutal crimes in Israel, including mass summary executions, the capture of hostages and the indiscriminate launching of thousands of rockets into Israel,” Amnesty International (AI) said in a statement. a released statement. Today.
On the other hand, the organization denounces that the blockade Israel has installed on the Gaza Strip, cutting off water, electricity, food and fuel supplies, “exacerbates the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in that region” and “amounts to collective punishment” . , which is also a war crime.”
AI also claims to have activated Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab, which analyzed videos of crimes committed by both sides in the conflict.
On the first day, images are shown of Palestinian fighters “deliberately shooting at civilians and taking them hostage. In one of the most egregious incidents, at the Nova Music festival, at least 260 civilians were killed, while others remain missing,” the organization pointed out.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard, quoted in the same statement, is alarmed, recalling that “the mass murder of civilians is a war crime and there can be no justification for these attacks.”
Another video that Agnès Callamard classifies as “disturbing” shows “armed men parading a woman through the center of Gaza, as if it were a scene from a nightmare.”
In light of the events, the organization’s Secretary General calls for the immediate release of “all abducted civilians, including children,” and states that “these crimes must be analyzed” in the context of the ongoing investigation at the International Criminal Court (ICC). .
“Israel’s well-documented history of war crimes does not excuse the actions of Palestinian armed groups, nor does it exempt them from fulfilling their obligations under international law to respect fundamental principles of humanity and the protection of civilians,” he stressed .
“Neither security nor justice will be achieved through civilian massacre in Gaza and collective punishment,” says Agnès Callamard.
The Islamist group Hamas – considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union (EU) – carried out a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, dubbed Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’, launching thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response to the attack, Israel has bombed several Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip over the past six days, in an operation dubbed ‘Iron Swords’.
According to data released Thursday, the conflict has already caused about 1,300 deaths in Israel and 1,354 in the Gaza Strip.
In addition to these fatalities, more than 3,200 were injured in Israel and more than 6,000 in Gaza, an area controlled by Hamas since 2007.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim to have around 130 hostages in their possession, with the Israeli government confirming the identities of 97 people.
Israel has completely besieged the Gaza Strip and cut off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
All Gaza border crossings have been closed, preventing fuel from entering the Palestinian enclave’s power plant or the generators on which residents and hospitals depend, according to international agencies.
The Gaza Strip has approximately 2.3 million inhabitants, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Source: DN
