The director general of the Gaza Government Media Office, Ismail al-Thawabta, confirmed to the Canary that Israeli occupation forces have resorted to using explosive robots as a tool for remote killing and destruction, in a serious violation of international humanitarian law. It follows our revelations on 2 September over Israel’s use of them in Gaza City.

Israel using booby-trapped robots in Gaza

In statements to the Canary, Thawabteh emphasized that what is happening reflects a clear policy based on the systematic destruction of residential and urban infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Thawabta said that through these practices, the occupation seeks to inflict as much destruction as possible without exposing its soldiers to danger, considering that what is happening constitutes collective punishment of the civilian population and amounts to war crimes and genocide according to the Rome Statute and the Geneva Conventions.

According to the data presented by Al-Thawabta, the occupation has completely or partially destroyed thousands of residential units in the neighborhoods of Al-Zaytoun, Al-Sabra, Al-Shuja’iya, Al-Tuffah, Jabalia Al-Balad, and Al-Nazla, in operations aimed at wiping out entire neighborhoods and bringing about systematic demographic change.

He considered this a flagrant violation of Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of private property except in cases of extreme military necessity.

He noted that the toll of the aggression on Gaza City since its inception has reached 1,100 martyrs and more than 6,000 wounded, at a time when the occupation has used more than 100 explosive-laden robots and carried out more than 70 direct airstrikes. He described what is happening in Jabalia and Al-Nuzla as “the crime of the century,” as the occupation continues to destroy what remains of homes without any military justification.

The ongoing genocide

On the humanitarian front, Al-Thawabta emphasized that the situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic stage, with an almost complete lack of food, water, and medicine, and a total collapse of infrastructure and basic services.

He added that the ongoing displacement has forced tens of thousands of citizens to gather in cramped areas west of the city, amid dangerous health and environmental conditions, the spread of infectious diseases, and a lack of safe shelter.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.