Euro-Med Monitor condemns Israeli massacre of Nuseirat and calls for investigation into use of US pier for military purposes

Palestinian Territory – The massacre carried out by the Israeli army today, Saturday, in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip has been strongly condemned by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. There is also great concern over reports that Israel may have used the US pier intended for the transport of humanitarian aid to Gaza for military purposes.

Today, over two hundred Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured, most of them women and children. This is a provisional figure that could rise as reconstruction efforts continue. The attacks came as part of an intense two-hour air, land and sea raid by the Israeli army on the central market, where thousands of people from the Nuseirat camp and its surroundings gather daily. Most of the central Gaza Strip was also targeted.

Following the large-scale attack, the Israeli army announced that four Israeli prisoners had been freed in an operation carried out by special forces in the Nuseirat camp, working in cooperation with the Israel Police (Al-Yamam) and the General Security Service (Shin Bet).

To cover up the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the Israeli army carried out massive, indiscriminate air and artillery strikes during the operation. This resulted in excessive civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian property. It also violated numerous principles of international humanitarian law, such as humanity, distinction, military necessity, proportionality and due diligence.

Nasser Ghaben, a 45-year-old refugee from Gaza who moved to Nuseirat camp, told the Euro-Med Monitor team that the shelling during the attack on the camp was exceptionally heavy and indiscriminate. He noted that the attack also included numerous residential buildings and apartments being targeted by air and artillery.

Miraculously, he survived the heavy Israeli bombardment while buying food for his family at the Nuseirat market. As he left the area, he saw dozens of bodies lying in the street, some dismembered, some of them children.

Another young man, who identified himself only as “Faisal” for security reasons, informed the Euro-Med Monitor team that Israeli drones and warplanes began heavy attacks on the northwest of Nuseirat camp. These attacks later spread to other parts of the camp, including the northeast area of ​​Al-Awda Street and the entrance to Al-Bureij camp.

Thousands of civilians tried to flee the Nuseirat camp because of Israel’s indiscriminate and heavy bombardment, he continued, but many were hit by artillery shells and shots from quadcopter drones, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries in the streets, especially on Jules Street in the center of the camp.

According to a US official quoted by the US website Axios, a US “hostage cell” assisted Israeli attempts to free the four prisoners held in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reported that an Israeli truck carrying Israeli special forces carrying out the operation to rescue the four prisoners left from near the US pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip under the pretext of transporting humanitarian aid.

Other sources said the vehicle carrying the Israeli forces was a civilian truck disguised as if it was intended to transport humanitarian aid. Still other sources said the truck appeared to be transporting civilian displaced persons and their belongings to the area.

According to Israel Army Radio, “the US hostage cell played a crucial role in freeing the hostages” using “high-precision American technology that had never been used before in freeing the hostages.” Before the incident, video footage of the truck and a Caddy vehicle at the time of the break-in was released.

Under international humanitarian law, it is illegal to gain the trust of an adversary by acting in such a way as to induce him to believe that he is entitled to or must afford protection, with the intent to abuse that trust and thereby cause his death or injury.

This includes feigning civilian status, using civilian transport or vehicles intended for humanitarian aid, or wearing civilian clothing or that of humanitarian workers as a disguise. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies malicious killing or injuring as a war crime.

Washington announced on May 17 that it was ready to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza through its pier, but announced a few days later that the pier was no longer operational. An investigation should be launched immediately to determine whether the US pier was being used for military purposes and contributed to the killing of Palestinian civilians.

Euro-Med Monitor also condemns the Israeli army’s continued use of various weapons and ammunition, as well as its indiscriminate use of destructive force against Palestinian civilians and their property. Since the Israeli army began its military attacks on the Gaza Strip last October, massacres have been carried out there on a daily basis without cause or explanation.

The devastating impact of the Israeli military attacks on Gaza, coupled with the alarming number of casualties and the scale of destruction, confirm that Israel has committed and will continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. These crimes are part of the genocide it has been committing against the Palestinian population in Gaza for nine months. All available international, legal and judicial mechanisms must be used with the utmost diligence to hold Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable, ensure that they face consequences, and provide reparations to the victims and their families in accordance with international law.

For its military, logistical, operational and financial support of Israel during its assault on Gaza, the United States must be held accountable as a major collaborator in the commission of crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, including the crime of genocide. This includes holding accountable all U.S. officials who were involved in decisions that could have criminal consequences.

As part of their international obligations, all countries should impose strict sanctions against Israel, cut off all financial, political and military aid, and immediately halt all arms supplies to Israel, including export licenses and military support.