The devastating Israeli bombing of Gaza for the eighty-seventh day, in the central region, the Nuseirat camp, and the surrounding areas of Jabalia al-Balad and Hay al-Tuffah, resulted in dozens of martyrs and wounded, bringing the toll since last October 7 to 21,978 martyrs.
The devastating Israeli bombing of Gaza continues for the eighty-seventh day, targeting, today, Monday, the central region, the Nuseirat camp, and the surrounding areas of Jabalia al-Balad and the al-Tuffah neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded, bringing the toll since last October 7 to 21,978 martyrs. And 57 thousand and 697 infected people.
In Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, 15 citizens were martyred and dozens were injured as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted citizens’ homes.
In the Bir al-Na'ja area, west of Jabalia, 6 citizens were martyred in an occupation aircraft raid on several homes, while several citizens were injured as a result of Israeli artillery shelling on the town of al-Zawaida, in the center of the Gaza Strip. The occupation aircraft also launched raids on Juhr al-Dik and the southern neighborhoods of Gaza City.
East and north of Khan Yunis witnessed artillery shelling on various areas of the city, where a citizen was martyred and others were injured in the bombing of the Abu Hatab family home near Bilal Mosque, west of Khan Yunis.
He also died as a martyr in an Israeli bombing that targeted the Qaizan Rashwan neighborhood, and other areas in the southeast and center of the city.
Violent explosions rocked the central region of the Gaza Strip in intense bombardment by aircraft and artillery.
Medical sources reported, late yesterday evening, Sunday, that a number of citizens were martyred and others were injured, after the occupation warplanes bombed a group of citizens near the Dawla roundabout in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza.
A number of citizens, the majority of them children, were also injured after an occupation drone bombed a house in the Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, while a number of the injured arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital as a result of the occupation forces targeting homes in the Nuseirat camp.
13 massacres and 156 martyrs in 24 hours
For his part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, announced in a press conference on Monday that the occupation committed 13 massacres, leaving 156 martyrs and 246 injured during the last 24 hours.
Al-Qudra confirmed that 326 medical personnel were martyred, and 104 ambulances were destroyed and taken out of service.
He pointed out that Israel intended to target 150 medical institutions and put 30 hospitals out of service, explaining that research is being conducted with international institutions to restart these institutions in the Gaza Strip.
He recalled that Israel continues to arrest 99 medical personnel in inhumane conditions, calling on UN institutions to work to protect the medical system in Gaza and its staff.
10 thousand cancer patients without medications in Gaza
In this context, the director of the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Hospital in Gaza, Subhi Skaik, announced on Monday that there are 10,000 cancer patients in the Strip without medication, after the hospital was “forcibly” put out of service as a result of the ongoing war on the Strip for about three months.
Skaik said, in a press conference, “After the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Cancer Hospital was forcibly removed from service, we have ten thousand cancer patients in dire and inhumane conditions.”
He added that these patients do not have "any type of medication for treating cancer in the Gaza Strip."
Skaik also called on all countries to restart the Friendship Hospital, “which is considered the only haven for cancer patients in the Gaza Strip.”
At the end of last October, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the third and final floor of the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Hospital was bombed by Israeli aircraft, causing serious damage and causing the hospital to be out of service as a result of the war.
The Turkish government funded the construction of the hospital (2011-2017), which is one of the largest hospitals in Palestine, and the only one dedicated to treating cancer patients in Gaza, with an area of 34,800 square meters, consisting of 3 floors, and containing 180 beds.
Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a war on Gaza, which has left massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.
50,000 pregnant women and a million children without care in Gaza and Tel Aviv fears being condemned as “genocide”
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said that 50,000 pregnant women and more than 900,000 children lack the necessary health care in shelter centers in the Strip, while Israeli human rights activists warned that Tel Aviv fears being convicted of genocide in Gaza, based on a complaint to the International Court of Justice.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said on Monday that 50,000 pregnant women and more than 900,000 children lack the necessary health care in shelter centers in the Strip.
The ministry’s spokesman, Ashraf Al-Qudra, explained in a press conference that “the health and humanitarian conditions for more than 1.9 million displaced people are catastrophic and overwhelming.”
He pointed out that the displaced people in the Gaza Strip "are exposed to the risks of famine and the spread of epidemics and infectious diseases, as a result of the lack of appropriate shelter, water, food and medicine in the places to which they have been displaced."
The Ministry's spokesman stated that "50,000 pregnant women suffer from malnutrition and health complications, especially those with high-risk pregnancies, as a result of the lack of drinking water, hygiene, food, and health care in shelter centers."
“More than 900,000 children in shelter centers are exposed to the dangers of extreme cold, dehydration, malnutrition, infectious respiratory and skin diseases, and psychological disorders,” according to a ministry spokesman.
Al-Qudra called on UN institutions to conduct "urgent interventions to save the lives of children, pregnant women, and the sick, and to stop the health, humanitarian, and psychological catastrophe in shelter centers."
Genocide
Meanwhile, the Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz" revealed, on Monday, that Israeli human rights activists pointed out that there are fears in Tel Aviv about its conviction for committing genocide in Gaza, after South Africa filed a complaint against it in this regard last week.
On Friday, South Africa submitted a request to file a lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice, against the backdrop of its involvement in “acts of genocide” against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the same court.
Haaretz said: “The security establishment and the Attorney General’s Office are concerned that the International Court of Justice in The Hague will accuse Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, at the request of South Africa, which submitted a petition to the court over the weekend.”
According to the newspaper, “In recent days, a senior legal expert (whose name was not mentioned) warned Israeli army officers, including Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, that there is a real risk that the court will issue a judicial order calling on Israel to cease fire, indicating that Israel is committed to the court’s rulings.” .
Preparations to face charges
She said: “The army and the Attorney General’s Office have already begun preparing to deal with the complaint, and a hearing on the matter will be held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (today).”
She added: “According to international law experts, this measure may reinforce allegations of genocide against Israel, and thus lead to its diplomatic isolation, boycott, or sanctions against it or against Israeli companies.”
The newspaper stated that, “In contrast to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which conducts proceedings against individuals, the International Court of Justice deals with judicial disputes between states.”
She explained that "Israel does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court, which conducts investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Israelis and Palestinians, including the current war," as she put it.
She continued: "On the other hand, Israel is a signatory to the Convention against Genocide, according to which the court derives its authority to consider the complaint filed against Israel from South Africa."
She continued: “According to the court’s previous ruling, any signatory state may file a complaint against another state, even if it is not directly harmed by it.”
Israel's response is 'contempt of court'
According to the newspaper, the lawsuit accuses Israel of indiscriminate use of force and forced population deportation, and “among the reported Israeli acts are crimes against humanity and war crimes, and (South Africa) also claimed that some of these acts meet the basic definition of genocide.”
She added: "South Africa asked the court to discuss the matter in the coming days and issue a temporary injunction against Israel calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. According to the petition, this step is necessary to protect the Palestinians from further irreparable harm."
The newspaper continued: “South Africa also requested that the court order Israel to allow Palestinians who were expelled from their homes in the Gaza Strip to return to it, stop depriving them of food, water and humanitarian aid, ensure that Israelis do not incite genocide and punish those who do so, and allow an independent investigation to be conducted.” In their actions.
In its response to the petition, Israel accused South Africa of “blood libel,” which is “legally baseless and constitutes despicable exploitation and contempt of court.”
It quoted Professor Eliav Lieblich, an international law expert at Tel Aviv University, saying, “South Africa makes two main claims: that Israel does not work to prevent statements calling for genocide, and that it commits acts that constitute genocide.”
He added: "These are very, very harsh matters to the ears of the Israelis, but their impact must not be ignored, and therefore these allegations must be responded to seriously."
Israel is bound by the rulings of “International Justice”
Lieblich noted, "Genocide is a violation, and proving it in court requires two elements. First, you have to show the intent to exterminate, and second, some field procedures that reinforce this intent."
He said: “According to South Africa, the intent is being demonstrated by statements by high-ranking Israeli figures, the general atmosphere to wipe out Gaza or level it to the ground, and the demonstration of widespread harm to civilians and hunger in Gaza.”
Lieblich stated that "extreme statements made by senior Israeli officials could be considered evidence of intent to harm the civilian population in Gaza."
He said: “In general, it is difficult to prove genocidal intent, because no public statements to that effect were made during the fighting, but these irresponsible statements about wiping out Gaza will require Israel to explain why they do not reflect such intent.”
“South Africa will have to prove a causal relationship between politicians’ statements and the army’s actions,” Lieblich added, noting that “this will be difficult to prove.”
He continued: "Israel in general does not participate in such deliberations, but this is not a United Nations investigative committee or the International Criminal Court in The Hague, whose authority Israel rejects. It is the International Court of Justice, which derives its powers from a treaty to which Israel has joined."
Accordingly, Lieblich explained, “Israel cannot therefore reject it on the usual grounds of lack of authority, as it is a body with international standing.”
He continued: “This does not mean that if the International Court of Justice issues a ruling or an injunction, it will be implemented immediately, but if it is determined - in a ruling or even a temporary injunction - that there is suspicion that Israel is committing genocide, then you have to think about what this will say to history.” “So this measure must be taken seriously.”
Scarcity of similar cases
"So far, the court has heard very few cases involving accusations of genocide," Lieblich noted.
He said: “About 15 years ago, the court rejected a Bosnian complaint that Serbia had committed genocide, but ruled that Serbia had not prevented the genocide committed by Serb militias in the Srebrenica massacre.”
He added: “Another case is still in its early stages, related to a Ukrainian complaint against Russia. The court is also considering a complaint filed by Gambia against Myanmar due to its persecution of the Rohingya,” noting that the court issued a temporary injunction against Myanmar.
He continued: “South Africa’s complaint aims to add Israel to this notorious group, and thus embarrass the United States, as its ally.”
Condemnation of Israel is possible
For her part, Shelly Aviv Yeni, an expert in international law at the University of Haifa, considered that “South Africa’s complaint should not be underestimated, as the International Court of Justice has a great influence in shaping international law, and its rulings affect the perceptions of the international community.”
“Therefore, acknowledging South Africa’s claim may reinforce the perception that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” she said.
According to Aviv Yeni, “It is not unlikely that (the court) would issue such an injunction against Israel, and rule that its operations violate human rights protected by the Genocide Convention.”
She added: "If Israel does not provide a detailed response refuting the accusations against it, the court is likely to do so."
Since October 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which as of Sunday left “21,822 martyrs, 56,451 wounded, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.
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