Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on governments worldwide to suspend arms sales to Israel and support the investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the unlawful Israeli attacks on residential buildings in Gaza that led to the deaths of 106 civilians and the injury of many more.
HRW asserts that the Israeli airstrikes on a six-story residential building housing hundreds of people in central Gaza on October 31st, 2023, constitute a presumed war crime.
Among the casualties were 54 children, marking one of the deadliest attacks since Israel’s bombardment and ground incursions into Gaza following Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7th.
According to HRW, there was no evidence of a military target in the vicinity of the building during the Israeli attack, rendering it indiscriminate and unlawful under the laws of war. Israeli authorities have not provided any justification for the assault.
HRW emphasizes that allies of Israel should suspend military aid and arms sales as long as its forces continue to commit systematic and widespread violations of the laws of war against Palestinian civilians without facing accountability.
The Israeli military operations in Gaza have persisted since October 7th, 2023, when Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza, launched the “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel and infiltrating Israeli towns bordering the enclave, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis, mostly settlers, and the capture of around 250 others.
Israel responded by officially declaring war on Gaza, beginning with devastating airstrikes followed by ground military operations inside the territory, resulting in the deaths of approximately 33,000 Palestinians and the injury of over 75,000.
Intermittent ceasefires brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have punctuated the fighting, facilitating prisoner exchanges and the delivery of aid to Gaza.
However, renewed fighting between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza resumed following the expiration of the ceasefire on December 1st, 2023, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation.
