War on Gaza: Israel violating international and humanitarian law with US weapons, task force says

Amnesty International found compelling evidence that Israel committed war crimes and violated international humanitarian law in its war on the Gaza Strip in a report published by the organisation that documented random, illegal Israeli attacks on the Strip.

The organisation said that Israel did not take possible precautions to avoid killing civilians in Gaza, did not distinguish between military and civilian targets, and carried out attacks directed at civilian targets, which led to considerable civilian casualties and the killing of entire families.

The organisation added that Israel had shockingly disregarded the lives of civilians and destroyed the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, stressing that it had not found evidence of the Israeli army’s claim that it was only attacking military targets.

Amnesty International stressed that Israel practised an apartheid regime against the Palestinians and imposed collective punishment and an illegal siege on the Gaza Strip, turning it into the largest open-air prison in the world.

The organisation reached its conclusions by analysing satellite images, verifying photos and video clips, and speaking to eyewitnesses to investigate the bombing operations on Gaza that the Israeli forces began on October 7, following the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance.

The organisation called on Israel to immediately stop its illegal attacks, adhere to international law, and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the sector, which is suffering from the collapse of the health sector, electricity outages, and food depletion.

The organisation urged the international community and Israel’s allies, including America and the United Kingdom, to take the necessary measures to protect civilians in Gaza from unlawful attacks and to refrain from supplying Israel with weapons and military materials.

The organisation also called on Israel’s allies to refrain from making statements that would legitimise Israeli violations and to put pressure on Israel to lift its illegal siege imposed on the Gaza Strip 16 years ago. Amnesty International explained that it is still investigating dozens of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Oxfam-Human Rights Watch memorandum summarises a wide range of additional Israeli violations of international humanitarian law, denial of services vital to the survival of civilian populations, and arbitrary deprivation and restrictions of humanitarian aid since the 7 October attack.

Examples include the use of US-supplied white phosphorus to Israel in military operations, specifically in UNRWA schools in Gaza and agricultural lands in southern Lebanon, and indiscriminate or disproportionate raids on or near several major hospitals, including at least one strike targeting an ambulance bearing the ambulance sign killed 15 people and injured 60 others.

As well as the systematic prevention of aid, including aid provided mainly by the United States, from reaching the approximately 300,000 Palestinians still in northern Gaza.

Oxfam has repeatedly sounded the alarm that Israel’s ongoing bombing and blockade, and its actions to block humanitarian access, have exacerbated the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, said Scott Ball, associate director for peace and security at Oxfam America. 

He added: We have made it clear to the Biden administration why any assurances from Israel that it has not delayed, restricted, or obstructed aid to Gaza cannot be relied upon. Despite this, the United States has continued to supply lethal weapons to Israel. It has been a long time since the Biden administration was “It should end lethal weapons sales to Israel, but we call on them to do so now and work to end the death and suffering in Gaza.