The Israeli army is likely to carry out a fresh massacre in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, initiating a new round of forced evacuation orders against its estimated 50,000 citizens who remained in the area. The UN and other international parties need to take immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians.
After declaring the town of Beit Lahia to be a "dangerous combat zone" and threatening to "act with extreme force," the Israeli army started to launch heavy air and artillery attacks on the town, followed by fresh evacuation orders.
The Israeli army set up shelters for the town of Beit Lahia's residents to evacuate towards known shelters in blocks number 1770, 1766, but these were originally destroyed areas that are unfit for any form of life and lack water supply as well as functioning sewage systems.
The two designated evacuation points are unsafe areas and, like all areas of the town of Beit Lahia in particular, and the northern Gaza Strip in general, have previously been subjected to widespread destruction, including shelter centres and public facilities, as a result of the ongoing Israeli military attack since October 7.
In light of the ongoing crimes of genocide and forced displacement policy in the Gaza Strip, every area designated by the Israeli army as a military operation area is completely destroyed, subjected to a strict and oppressive siege, and horrifically massacred, as the remaining residents have nowhere safe to flee.
In the absence of strong international accountability mechanisms and any swift international action to put an end to these crimes, which have been going on for six months, the military operation that the Israeli army launched in the town of Beit Lahia will result in more serious crimes and violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The town of Beit Lahia was the scene of multiple large-scale military operations by the Israeli army during the previous seven months of its military assault on the Gaza Strip. One such operation occurred at the end of December last year, which resulted in extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and civil and service facilities, with the town's buildings and infrastructure being destroyed to the tune of approximately 90%.
The Israeli army's Beit Lahia military operation is taking place on the 200th day of the massive military assault on the Gaza Strip, which has had horrific consequences due to its direct and deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians amid the shameful international inaction to oblige Israel to abide by international humanitarian law and the orders of the International Court of Justice to stop its genocide crime.
The Israeli army killed 42,510 Palestinians over the course of the 200-day attack, 38,621 of whom were civilians, including 10,091 women and 15,780 children. There are still several thousand dead under the rubble, while thousands more remain missing.
Based on these data, the daily death toll for Palestinians reached 212, including 50 women and 79 children. These are horrifying statistics in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as current conflicts.
Euro-Med teams documented thousands of specific crimes in which the Israeli army turned civilians into legitimate targets by targeting them without necessity or proportionality. These crimes included bombing homes and shelters on the heads of their residents, extrajudicial executions, and indiscriminate bombing with the intention of intimidating.
The international community needs to break its silence now and take all necessary action to put an end to the massacre in Beit Lahia and to shield the Palestinian people from all the crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip, including murders, executions, arbitrary detentions, torture, forced disappearances, and forced displacement.
The international community must also uphold its legal obligations under international law to stop Israel from committing acts of genocide against the people of Gaza since 7 October. Additionally, the international community must pressure Israel to immediately cease all acts of genocide and to abide by the rulings of the International Court of Justice.
In order to avoid being complicit in the crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, including the crime of genocide, all nations should accept their international obligations and cease providing Israel with any kind of political, financial, or military support. In particular, arms transfers to Israel, including export permits and military aid, should be immediately stopped.
