Gaza: At least 150 Palestinian children were killed in renewed Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, a Geneva-based rights group said. The Israeli army targeted the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, resulting in at least 404 fatalities, numerous injuries, and a breach of the ceasefire agreement established on January 19. Images from Gaza revealed a majority of the casualties were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were destroyed during the night.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated, "The intentional killing of large numbers of people was evident in the Israeli attacks." The group further criticized any justification of these actions as security concerns or military necessities, labeling them as deceptive attempts to mask acts of genocide.
The rights group highlighted the international community's lack of action concerning "Israel's heinous crimes" in Gaza over the past 18 months, describing it as both a failure and an implicit endorsement of further violence. They condemned the systematic patterns of violence, including mass murder, forced starvation, deprivation of essential resources, and destruction of infrastructure, as unacceptable.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, these acts are considered genocide and are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Euro-Med Monitor urged for implementing economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions on Israel, including banning weapon trade, halting military collaborations, freezing financial assets of involved officials, and suspending trade privileges and bilateral agreements.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 48,500 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, with over 112,000 others injured since October 2023. In response, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for their involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.