For the UN, the siege of Israel can be viewed as “collective punishment,” which is prohibited under international law. In other words, a potential war crime if the goal or strategy does not have a military objective.
According to the WHO, 13 health centers were hit in Gaza, destroying nine ambulances and killing six workers. Drug supplies in hospitals are exhausted and care centers are full.
A total of 18 UN buildings in Gaza were hit. International organizations fear that Israel’s response to Gaza home to 2.2 million people will trigger a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions in the region, which has already been under a blockade for 16 years.
At least 900 Israelis were killed over the weekend, the worst moment Israel has seen in decades. The killing of civilians was condemned by dozens of countries as “barbaric” and “terrorist acts” by Hamas.
The Israeli strikes are part of the counteroffensive by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which warned that Hamas’ offensive on Saturday constituted September 11, alluding to terrorist attacks in the United States. “Nothing will be the same again,” Israeli diplomats said at a recent UN Security Council meeting.
The announcement was interpreted as a sign that Israel would target the entire Gaza area for an offensive and that Hamas would have no place to hide. For Israeli diplomacy, the site’s entire infrastructure is used as a “terror machine” and is therefore a legitimate target.