Statement on the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip
We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli air and artillery shelling of the Gaza Strip, which started on Saturday
morning, May 4, 2019,” said Sarah Pritchett, the spokeswoman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. The Israeli
strikes has resulted in the death of four civilians, including a pregnant mother and her child, the injury of more than
30 others, and the demolition of a residential building and 3 other buildings containing offices for media agencies,
charities and shops.
The Israeli leadership has once again demonstrated its policy of using excessive force against 2 million civilians who
have been besieged for more than 13 years. The Israeli authorities have not only restricted their lives through the
blockade, but by repeatedly targeting their lives and property by shelling and direct killing, in a clear disregard to
all international treaties guaranteeing the protection of civilians in times of armed conflict.
The continuation of the Israeli army behavior towards the Gaza Strip of killing and targeting civilian objects and the
continuation of the collective punishment policy through the blockade clearly represent war crimes under the Rome
Statute and require a serious action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
We stress the necessity of urgent action by the United Nations and the actors in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to
contain the escalation in the Gaza Strip before the situation deteriorates to a more serious level. We also warn that
the catastrophic living conditions in the Strip is not likely to bear any further deterioration.