Mass Extermination, Mass Expulsion: Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
New Human-Rights Report Evidences Israel’s War Crimes Against Civilians In Gaza
Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament, London, United Kingdom: Monday 13th May 2024.
Restless Beings, an international human rights organisation, launched their milestone report, “Mass Extermination, Mass Expulsion”. The report documents the destruction of the various sections of civilian infrastructure in Gaza between October 2023 to February 2024. “Mass Extermination, Mass Expulsion”, with support from Labour Party MP Mohammed Afzal Khan, establishes that the Israeli war effort in Gaza does not meet its stated intentions, of both reclaiming Israeli hostages and dismantling Hamas, and rather finds clear patterns that expose the Israeli State ambition to bring about the near-total collapse of Gazan society. It goes on to recommend to Government(s) to immediately implement a complete arms embargo and end military trade with Israel, as well as support international justice and accountability tools for the Palestinian Gaza population.
“The very real, imminent, and highly likely threat to the 1.5 million displaced in the last Gazan city of Rafah is similar to the rest of Gaza until now.” (Mabrur Ahmed, 2024)
Of the report’s major findings, a clear geographical pattern in Israeli targeting of places of refuge, including schools, hospitals, mosques, monasteries, was evidenced as both causing and following civilian displacement throughout the conflict, progressively suffocating declared “safe zones” and civilian populations within them, from North Gaza, Middle Area, Khan Younis and imminently Rafah. The consequent razing of Northern, Middle and Southern areas of Gaza, with total disregard of civilian safe housing, foreshadows an approaching catastrophic result for the last remaining “safe zone” of over 1.5 million Palestinians.
“It seems quite apparent from the patterns identified in this report and by the price of thousands of civilian deaths and 80 years’ worth of destruction and debris, that Israel’s likely actual military objective was to cause mass extermination and mass expulsion – policies of violent colonisation and occupation.” (Mabrur Ahmed, 2024)
The report spotlights rhetoric from Israeli senior political and military figures, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Daniel Hagari, as robust evidence of intent to incite mass destruction and collective punishment, in breach of international humanitarian law. Further, the report establishes that Israeli targeting of civilian infrastructure has led to no significant rescue of Israeli hostages, nor the capture of Hamas fighters. In this light, the Israeli war effort is seen to either have spectacularly failed, or exposed its intention to cause colossal civilian death.
The report concludes that patterns of Israeli military campaign, the displacement and following of civilian populations to the most southern city of Rafah, points to Israel’s creation of unliveable conditions for Gazans. The report’s findings highlight the Israeli breach of the Geneva Conventions and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, whereby deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure and collective punishment are classified as War Crimes.
About Restless Beings: We are an international human rights organisation and registered UK charity dedicated to supporting the world’s most marginalised communities through advocacy, activism, and holistic humanitarian projects. We occupy the space between human rights advocacy (academia, policy, media) and humanitarian response (relief/aid, programmes). We believe this approach is key to affecting real change. We are committed to challenging and dismantling oppression and believe in the power of people coming together and collectively demanding change. Freedom, equality and justice should be for all. Our vision is to see a balanced world where marginalised voices are heard, and the communities have better access to their rights. For many, having faced unimaginable violence, poverty and neglect, these basic rights, freedoms and pathways to justice is nothing short of a dream. Our work is centred on making this a reality. We are driven by an unshakeable faith in collective power and collaboration to make these changes - because together we are truly stronger ~ working towards a free and fearless future.