GAZA – On Wednesday, the Euro-Med
Human Rights Monitor revealed that the
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are
deliberately killing Palestinian civilians, including journalists, who pose no
threat or danger, locating them as they attempt to access communications and
internet services to communicate with their families or employers, and
targeting them with sniper or drone attacks.
اضافة اعلان
At least seven civilians have been
killed in the
North Gaza Governorate in less than a week after they were
directly targeted by IOF drones in the Al-Bashir area of Tal Al-Zaatar in
Jabalia Camp. The victims were attempting to access internet services to
communicate with their families and relatives.
Euro-Med Monitor clarified that
Palestinian civilians are climbing to high elevations in an effort to intercept
communications signals to access the internet using electronic cards after the
IOF
demolished Palestinian communications exchanges. Israel particularly
targets civilians trying to pick up communications and internet signals in
besieged areas where serious human rights violations are occurring. This
hinders press coverage of the violations and makes it difficult for residents
to report them.
On January 22, a group of
journalists were targeted by an Israeli aircraft while attempting to obtain
internet services in the
Tal Al-Zaatar area of Jabalia. A young man, Muhammad
Al-Ghoula, was killed, and the journalist Imad Ghabboun was injured during the
attack.
On February 8, Euro-Med Monitor
documented the killing by an Israeli quadcopter aircraft of a Palestinian
civilian on the roof of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where he was
attempting to obtain Internet signals amid the total Israeli siege of the hospital.
On February 9, six young men were
injured when Israeli warships targeted them while they were attempting to
access the internet on the Nuwairi height near the sea of the Nuseirat refugee
camp in the
central Gaza Strip.
Numerous civilians were killed and
injured after being targeted by Israeli drones and quadcopter aircraft while
trying to pick up an internet signal on the roof of the
Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza
City, according to Euro-Med Monitor.
Walid Ghaleb Abu Al-Fahm, 34, told
Euro-Med Monitor the following details about the killing of his brother,
Muhammad Ghaleb Abu Al-Fahm, 32, and his two friends, Bassem Hassan Al-Kahlot,
33, and Youssef Abu Fayed, 35, on January 29 and December 1, 2023. The men were
all from the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Abu Al-Fahm said, “After
the IOF withdrew from the Tal Al-Zaatar area and the vicinity of Al-Awda
Hospital, I went with my brother Muhammad and my friends Bassem and Youssef to
the Tal al-Zaatar area to obtain internet and communication services that had
been cut off since the end of October.”
“Despite the Israeli complete
withdrawal from Tal Al-Zaatar two days ago, aerial bombardment still occurred.
As we got closer to the Al-Awda Hospital area and started using our phones to
access the internet, all of a sudden, a drone's missile fell squarely on top of
us. I was a few steps ahead of my brother Muhammad and our friends Bassem and
Youssef. I looked behind me and saw them lying on the ground. I was also
injured in my arm. I found that my brother Muhammad and my friend Youssef had
been killed instantly, while my friend Bassem was in a serious condition and
soon died about two hours later. We were attempting to correspond with our
friends and family since some of us had to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.
Although we were excited to get in touch with our families and see how they
were doing, my brother and my friends were taken from me sooner by an Israeli
missile. From the end of October until mid-February, communications have not
been restored, and we remain disconnected from the outside world.”
Speaking to
Euro-Med Monitor, Omar
Odeh Walaida, 42, from the Tal Al-Zaatar neighborhood in the northern Gaza
Strip, narrates the following details of the killing of his neighbors, Youssef
Asaad Abu Rawaa, 23, and Ezzat Abu Odeh, who were displaced from Beit Hanoun on
February 4, and the injury of Ali Jihad Abdel Aziz Abu Rawa, 23, saying,
“Youssef and I went out to the Al-Bashir area in the Tal Al-Zaatar
neighborhood, which is near our home, to capture Internet signals. It is known
that this area is high and can access internet from Israeli companies amid the
Israeli total cutoff of communications and internet services in the entire Gaza
Strip. Youssef went to speak with his mother and his two brothers, who were
trapped in the West Bank after the Israeli crossing closure. At midday, Youssef
was talking to his mother about the health situation of his injured brother,
Rami, who is currently being treated in Al-Shifa Hospital since he is the only
breadwinner for him after his father was evacuated to Deir Al-Balah in
November. Suddenly and without prior warning, the Israeli artillery shelled
directly towards us. We had no idea what was going on. I checked myself and was
fine, but I looked around and saw blood and destruction. Youssef and the others
were covered in blood, and their phones were lying meters away from them.
Youssef was still alive, but his health situation was really serious, and he
did not last long."
"Youssef did not find anyone
in his small family to bury him because his mother and two brothers were stuck
in the West Bank, his father had to evacuate, and his brother Rami was
injured," Walaida continued. "So his family and friends took over the
task."
Mahmoud Muhammad Abu Saqr, 60,
spoke to Euro-Med Monitor about the killing of his nephew, Hussam Akram Abu
Saqr, 25, and his friend, Amer Khamis Awad, 25, in the Tal Al-Zaatar
neighborhood in northern Gaza, saying, “Hossam went to the Al-Bashir area of Tal
Al-Zaatar, which is an elevated area where one can access the Internet. On
February 9, Hossam tried to contact his brother, who had been left alone in
northern Gaza after his parents and five siblings were killed in December.
Before Hossam and his friend Amer could start their online conversation, the
Israeli planes bombed them. As I live in Tal Al-Zaatar and the Al-Bashir
neighborhood is close by, I hurriedly went to the bombing site that is next to
our home. However, they were promptly moved to the nearby Al-Awda Hospital. I
was unable to inform my brothers and relatives who were evacuated to the south
of the Gaza Strip of my nephew's killing due to the communication
breakdown."
Israel systematically destroyed
the communications exchanges of the only terrestrial network in the Gaza Strip
and the aerial transmission stations of mobile phone networks located on the
roofs of houses and buildings. This resulted in the disruption of communications
and internet services for most of the Gaza Strip's population, who were forced
to look for difficult-to-secure alternatives.
According to Euro-Med Monitor,
Israel has shut off the Internet and communications from the
Gaza Strip at
least ten times since October 7, 2023. The majority of these incidents happened
concurrently with or before a planned escalation in the military attacks, with
the infrastructure supporting these networks being totally destroyed.
Euro-Med Monitor emphasized that
the intentional and unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions of
Palestinian civilians by the IOF, whether through direct execution or sniping
and drone attacks, violate their right to life in accordance with international
human rights law, are deemed grave violations under the Geneva Conventions, and
are crimes of war and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court (ICC). These actions also serve as an integral
part of the genocide committed by Israel against the Gaza Strip since
October 7.
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