Geneva – Saba:
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor on Monday accused Israeli enemy forces of recruiting local gangs and foreign mercenaries from a private American security company to carry out mass killings of starving Palestinians near aid distribution points in Rafah, southern Gaza.
The Geneva-based organization warned of a systematic policy to transform humanitarian sites into arenas of massacres and chaos.
The Observatory stated its field team documented the Israeli army, along with a newly formed local armed gang (known as "Abu Shabab Gang"), opening direct fire on hundreds of civilians near an aid point in al-Alam area, west of Rafah.
This incident allegedly resulted in at least 14 civilian deaths and dozens of injuries. Testimonies from over 12 witnesses indicated that gunmen in "Palestinian Counter-Terrorism Service" uniforms (used by Abu Shabab Gang) fired directly into crowds after ordering them to disperse, reflecting a policy of indiscriminate killing and terrorizing."
According to the Monitor, this gang operates in direct coordination with Israeli enemy forces, has headquarters in enemy-controlled areas, and is involved in organized looting of humanitarian aid, including UN trucks, under Israeli drone protection. The looted aid is then sold at exorbitant prices.
The Euro-Med Monitor also reported that Israeli forces have deployed foreign mercenaries from an American security company to supervise aid points.
It documented one mercenary shooting and killing a civilian, and mercenaries using tear gas to disperse crowds.
The Observatory asserted that the Israeli enemy government, through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "officially approved the formation of local militias," making Israel directly responsible as an occupying power.
It highlighted that members of the American security company are directly involved in combat and receive operational guidance from the Israeli enemy army, classifying them as "mercenaries" under the 1989 UN Convention.
The Observatory called for independent international investigations into these crimes and the prosecution of those involved. It urged the inclusion of the American security company on lists of companies complicit in war crimes and a comprehensive ban on dealings with it. It also called on the Palestinian Authority to take a firm stance against the alleged gang and investigate any coordination with PA entities.
The Euro-Med Monitor stressed the need for the international community to take urgent action to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza, including imposing sanctions on Israel, freezing assets of involved Israeli companies and officials, halting arms exports, and implementing ICC arrest warrants. It concluded that the killing, starvation, and authorization of violence in Gaza represent systematic grave violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, demanding immediate international accountability.
The statement reiterates that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli enemy army, with American and European support, has committed genocidal crimes in Gaza, resulting in the martyrdom of 54,927 Palestinian citizens (majority children and women) and the injury of 126,615 others, with thousands still under rubble.
| more of (International) |