Ebrahim Moosa – Radio Islam News | 09 Safar 1440/19 October 2019

At least one Palestinian in Occupied Gaza on average is killed every single day, and for every 100 Gazans, 1 is injured, Geneva-based human rights organisation Euro-Med Monitor has reported.

Euro-Med issued its findings 200 days into the so-called Great March of Return that has seen Palestinians recurrently protest peacefully at the Gaza fence since March seeking an end to the crippling siege on the territory and demanding their internationally recognised right-of-return.

“Despite the fact that the protesters were mostly unarmed civilians and did not in most cases pose a credible threat, the Israeli forces met them with lethal force, including by live fire and explosive bullets, as well as toxic gas and tear gas,” Euro-Med said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously reported that, of the killings recorded during the ongoing protests, none of the Palestinian victims posed an imminent danger to Israeli forces. The assassinations, HRW added, could make Israel liable for war crimes.

“Israel’s response to protests violate the principles of international human rights law; that is, despite the fact that protests have largely been peaceful, Israeli soldiers killed 205 people, including five women and 38 children, while also injuring 22,527 others, 18% of whom are children,” Euro-Med said.

Equally worrisome according to the monitor were the large numbers of casualties who suffered permanent disability or required amputation, and the frequent attacks on medical and media personnel.

69 of those injured, 14 of whom were children, suffered permanent disability, according to recent statistics by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Israeli forces also killed journalists Yasser Murtaja and Ahmad Abu Hussein during their coverage of the events. More than 112 journalists and photographers were injured by bullets and tear gas, including 18 journalists who were repeatedly injured and five women journalists.

Gaza has been under Israeli Occupation since 1967 and has faced an intensified Israeli blockade from 2007 that has been supported in part by Egypt and exacerbated by policies of the Palestinian authority.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on the international community to exert serious pressure to put an end to the targeting of Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip and to protect their right to peaceful assembly.

Euro-Med also urged all parties concerned to exert pressure on Israel to lift its blockade affecting every aspect of Gaza’s largely civilian population, and expressed hope that the Security Council and the ICC may hold accountable those responsible for the killing of civilians in the coastal enclave.