What is the humanitarian cost of Israel's relentless pursuit of Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip?
LONDON: The Israeli army has killed dozens of Palestinian civilians and wounded hundreds more, including children, as it relentlessly pursues Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip, despite the military designating several areas of operation as “safe zones”.
Palestinian health officials said Monday that 16 civilians were killed in the eastern town of Khan Younis under Israeli bombardment, even as Israel issued new evacuation orders to keep civilians away from the fighting.
The latest bloodshed came after Israel launched airstrikes on another safe zone in southern Gaza, al-Mawasi camp, on July 13, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 300, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel said the targets of the attack were Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Forces, as well as Rafa Salama, the commander of the group's Khan Younis Force, whom Israel believes orchestrated the October 7, 2013 Hamas-led attack.
Hamas officials denied reports of his death, telling AFP after the attack that Deif “directly and fully supervised the operation”, but he did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “There are increasing signs that we have succeeded in eliminating Mohammed Deif.”
Smoke rises from the Gaza Strip amid conflict between Israel and Hamas (Reuters)
Speaking to Al Arabiya TV on Friday, he said: “Rafa Salama is definitely out. Mohammad Deif and Salama were sitting next to each other during the attack. Hamas is covering up what happened to Deif.”
Israeli General Staff Chief Herzi Halevi has accused Hamas of “covering up the results” of the attack on the western Khan Younis base where Deif and Salama are hiding.
Whether or not the attack on al-Mawasi succeeds, the attack on a civilian-populated area has drawn global condemnation, with observers accusing the Israeli military of violating international humanitarian law.
“War has a limited scope as defined by international law. Its ends cannot be fully explained. We condemn this violation,” wrote Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on social media platform X.
“We reiterate our call for an independent investigation and accountability, and an end to the horrific situation of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
On the day of the attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Sachi Hanegbi “to express our deep concern about the recent civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.”
Women react after being attacked by Israel as they took refuge in a Jaouni school (AFP)
The deadly attack by al-Mawasi group was not the first incident since the conflict began on October 7 in which Israeli troops have been accused of disregarding civilian safety and violating international humanitarian law in their pursuit of Hamas commanders.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, at least 38,900 Palestinians, including more than 13,000 children, have been killed in fighting since the Hamas offensive on October 7, with the exact proportion of those killed still being disputed.
The Israeli military bombings, which Israeli officials said were aimed at Hamas and not civilians, also damaged medical, sanitation and education infrastructure in the Palestinian territories.
Last month, the Israeli military killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians in the densely populated Nusairat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip in an operation to rescue four hostages.
The Israeli military said “fewer than 100” Palestinians were killed, but it was not certain how many were “terrorists.”
Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat told BBC Arabic’s “Gaza Today” that the 142 people killed in the operation were women and almost a quarter of them children, and that 250 people were injured.
Children walk past a destroyed classroom in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
UN spokesman Jeremy Lawrence expressed “deep shock” at the impact on civilians in Nusayrat, saying the Israeli forces' actions “raise serious questions about whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution … are being upheld”.
In March, the Israeli military stormed al-Shifa hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza, claiming that Hamas and other Palestinian fighters were hiding there.
The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said around 3,000 people were taking refuge in al-Shifa at the time of the Israeli offensive, and at least 1,500 Palestinians, including 13 children and 21 patients, were killed in the two-week offensive, according to Euro-Med Monitor, a Geneva-based NGO.
Israeli officials say “more than 200 terrorists” were killed in and around al-Shifa and hundreds more were detained, including several Hamas members and members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The reported figures could not be independently verified due to lack of access to reporting to Gaza.
Israeli soldiers travel in military vehicles across the Israel-Gaza border. (Reuters)
Between 8 and 12 July, Israel attacked six schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, killing dozens of civilians taking refuge in the area, before reportedly destroying the headquarters of the United Nations agency in Gaza City on 15 July.
Israel has accused local UNRWA staff of involvement in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, prompting the UN agency to launch an internal investigation and major donors, including the United States, to suspend funding for operations in the Gaza Strip and across the region.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli attack on his agency's headquarters in the Gaza Strip was “another blatant disregard for international humanitarian law”.
In a post on X, he said: “UN facilities must be protected at all times. They must not be used for military or combat purposes. Every war has rules. Gaza is no exception.”
In a separate post, Lazzarini stressed that “the school must not be used for combat or military purposes by any party to the conflict.”
Notable civilian casualties
• Oct 7, 2023: 1,200 Israelis and other civilians are killed in southern Israel and hundreds are taken hostage in a Hamas-led attack.
• Oct 31, 2023: More than 110 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack targeting a “senior Hamas commander” in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
• Feb 29, 2024 112 Palestinians waiting for aid were killed and 760 were injured outside Gaza City amid Israeli gunfire and panic.
• April 1: Seven World Central Kitchen employees are killed in an Israeli attack that violates military protocol on an aid convoy in the Gaza Strip.
• May 27: More than 45 Palestinians are killed in an Israeli attack targeting “two senior Hamas commanders” in Rafah.
• June 9: 274 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military attack that freed four hostages held in the Nusairat refugee camp.
• July 13: More than 90 Palestinians were killed and 300 wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas General Mohammed Deif in the town of Al-Mawasi.
Source: Gaza Ministry of Health, Government of Israel.
“All the rules of war in Gaza have been violated,” he warned. “The blatant and persistent disregard for international humanitarian law continues unabated.”
Israel has denied allegations that it has continued to attack civilian infrastructure, accusing Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups of using tunnels under Gaza hospitals to carry out attacks and hide weapons, using civilians as human shields.
A New York-based international lawyer, who asked not to be named and commented on Israel's behavior, told Arab News that in the Gaza war, “international law remains relevant as a framework for accountability and justice, providing mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable for war crimes, genocide and other atrocities.”
Palestinians walk on a flooded street in Deir el-Balah. (AFP)
The International Criminal Court, which prosecutes people accused of war crimes, has sought to hold “both sides to the conflict” accountable for alleged war crimes.
Israeli officials believe the ICC is likely to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant within the next two weeks, Israeli media reported on July 17.
The International Criminal Court's top prosecutor, Karim Khan, requested arrest warrants for two Israelis and three Palestinians suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity in May.
Hamas commander Deif is among the Palestinians named in an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, along with Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Movement chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.
The arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant allege that they used starvation as a tool of war, extermination and deliberate attacks on civilians, in addition to other war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Khan said he had “reasonable grounds” to believe the five men were “criminally responsible” for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.
The decision sparked outrage among Hamas leaders in Israel and even in the United States. US President Joe Biden described the move as “outrageous” and said there was “no equality – none – between Israel and Hamas.”
Hamas says ICC prosecutor 'considers victims as executioners' and calls for charges against group's leaders to be dropped
Israel denies allegations it continues to attack civilian infrastructure (AFP)
An international lawyer based in New York said that while international law and continued development “provide a foundation for addressing atrocities and promoting a more just and peaceful world,” its enforcement “can be inconsistent and subject to political influence.”
On July 19, the United Nations' International Court of Justice in The Hague declared Israel's occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, “illegal,” in a landmark ruling.
The International Court of Justice has said that Israel's discriminatory laws and policies against Palestinians violate the prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid, and has ordered Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories “as soon as possible.”
Since October 7, Israel has launched dozens of attacks on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, killing at least 500 Palestinians, 143 of whom were children, according to UN figures.
However, the latest ruling by the International Court of Justice is a non-binding recommendation that the UN General Assembly requested in 2022, before Israel launched its attack on the Gaza Strip, and is not directly related to the attack.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement in response to the ruling, saying: “The Jews are not occupiers of their own land, neither in Jerusalem, our eternal capital, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank).”
“The Hague’s decision on the lie cannot distort this historical truth, and similarly, the legality of Israeli settlements in all parts of our homeland cannot be disputed.”
In December last year, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Between July 8 and 12, Israel attacked six schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, killing dozens of civilians taking refuge in the area. (Reuters)
The International Court of Justice issued an interim ruling in January, revised in May, ordering Israel to “immediately cease its military offensive” and calling on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages.
However, Israel continues to attack Rafah and other areas in the Gaza Strip, home to more than a million displaced Palestinians, while Hamas is believed to still be holding 116 hostages.
No amount of legal argument can bring the conflict closer to resolution.
Diplomats and regional observers continue to call on both sides to accept an immediate ceasefire, exchange hostages and prisoners, and seek a solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
