Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterates the need for an international investigation into the human rights violations committed by the Occupation since the onset of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
On the 100th day of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor revealed that approximately 100,000 Palestinians have either been killed, reported missing, or wounded since 7 October due to the relentless Israeli bombardment and ground incursion.
The total number of Palestinian fatalities in the Gaza Strip stands at 31,497, as estimated by Euro-Med Monitor, as of 13 January 2024.
The organisation highlights a disturbing trend in the casualties: of those killed in the Israeli air and artillery attacks, a staggering 92%, 28,951 individuals, were civilians.
This figure includes 12,345 children, 6,471 women, 295 health personnel, 41 civil defence personnel, and 113 journalists.
Additionally, 61,079 Palestinians have been injured, with several hundred in critical condition.
Euro-Med Monitor’s report extends beyond the statistics from the Palestinian Health Ministry.
It includes individuals who have disappeared after being detained by the Israeli army, as well as those trapped beneath rubble for over two weeks, presumed dead.
The ongoing violence has left hundreds of bodies unrecoverable, particularly in areas of intense ground incursions by the Israeli army.
The humanitarian crisis is marked by mass displacement reminiscent of the 1948 Nakba.
Approximately 1.955 million Palestinians, or about 85% of the Strip’s population, have been forced from their homes. This displacement crisis is exacerbated by the destruction of 69,700 housing units and partial damage to 187,300 units.
Euro-Med Monitor also reports extensive damage to infrastructure in the Strip.
Targeted facilities include 320 schools, 1,671 industrial sites, 183 health facilities (including 23 hospitals and 59 clinics), 239 mosques, three churches, and 170 press offices.
This widespread destruction, according to Euro-Med Monitor, appears to be an attempt by Israel to expand its territory, displacing the majority of Gaza’s population in what the rights group terms a violation of international law, potentially constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The organisation criticised Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, suggesting it is part of a strategy to inflict maximum casualties and destruction, contravening international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Euro-Med Monitor also said it lauds South Africa’s legal initiative against Israel at the International Court of Justice as a historic precedent.
It views this as a critical step towards holding Israel accountable and challenging its perceived immunity at the international judicial level.
Both South Africa and Israel have recently completed their pleadings before the Court, which is now deliberating on urgent, temporary measures, including a request to cease Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.
