Human Rights Watch said it has documented, since October, eight Israeli strikes on humanitarian convoys and premises in the Gaza enclave that had provided their coordinates in advance.
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch revealed in a new report that the eight Israeli attacks on Humanitairian groups killed at least 15 people, including two children, and wounded at least 16 others despite that International law prohibits indiscriminate attacks targeting civilian objects, like aid convoys, that are expected to cause harm to civilians in a way disproportionate to any military advantage.
Israel’s attacks were against World Central Kitchen (WCK), Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the International Rescue Committee and the American Near East Refugee Aid Organisation.
According to the UN, 254 of its aid workers have been killed since the war on Gaza. At least 169 Unrwa facilities have been affected by Israel’s war in 368 separate incidents.
Workers from 11 humanitarian groups and agencies told Human Rights Watch that Israeli attacks have forced them to either suspend activities, reduce their staff or restrict their work in other ways.
On 18 January, Israeli airstrike targeted MAP and the International Rescue Committee, injuring three people, which UN investigators who visited the attack concluded it was likely carried out with a US-made munition with parts supplied by the UK.
On 1 April, six international aid workers from World Central Kitchen convoy were killed by Israeli airstrike, which ‘Israel’ apologised for and described as a “mistake”.
World Central Kitchen said it had provided Israeli authorities with GPS coordinates of its personnel in advance, but was still attacked, as with all of the eight attacks documented by Human Rights Watch.
“Israel’s killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers was shocking and should never have happened under international law,” said Belkis Wille of Human Rights Watch.
“Israel’s allies need to recognise that these attacks that have killed aid workers have happened over and over again, and they need to stop,” he added.
Commenting on Israel’s attack on WCK team, senior official at one of humanitairian agencies said, “I can’t risk sending more staff into Gaza because I cannot rely on deconfliction as a way of keeping them safe.”
The groundwork of Humanitairian issue in Gaza isn’t only affected by attacking convoys that are delivering some of the small amount that they are allowing in, but it has crumbled as ‘Israel’ is basically blocking access to critical lifesaving humanitarian provisions.
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