AhlulBayt News Agency: The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has accused Israel of deploying both local armed gangs and foreign mercenaries to target Palestinians near aid distribution sites in Gaza, deepening fears of organized violence.
According to a Monday statement, based on eyewitness accounts from its field team, Israeli forces and armed men under their direction fired on hundreds of civilians as they approached a regime-controlled aid point west of Rafah, killing at least 14 and injuring dozens.
Witnesses claim the shooters wore uniforms labeled with the insignia of the “Palestinian Counter-Terrorism Service,” a group reportedly established by Yasser Abu Shabab and linked to the Daesh terrorist organization.
The Monitor asserts that this armed group operates under Israeli military supervision in areas it controls.
The report further notes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged support for such gangs to combat Hamas, describing it as a tactic in the ongoing conflict.
In addition to local forces, the rights group alleges that a foreign mercenary tied to a US-based private security firm, overseeing the Rafah aid center, also fatally shot a Palestinian recipient.
It states that mercenaries receive weapons from the Israeli military and actively participate in targeting civilians.
The Monitor highlighted that these foreign fighters could be legally categorized as mercenaries under international law, given their engagement in combat abroad on behalf of another nation.
The statement emphasizes that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally responsible for the conduct of both the Abu Shabab gang and foreign mercenaries, since their operations are coordinated with its military.
The group called for global accountability, urging all nations to fulfill their legal duties and stop what it described as acts of genocide in Gaza. It specifically demanded international sanctions against Israel.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, and has since resulted in the deaths of at least 54,927 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
/129
Your Comment