An investigation led by a Geneva-headquartered human rights body has detailed the circumstances surrounding an Israeli airstrike that killed 15 members of a single family in Rafah in southern Gaza Strip February 2024.
According to the investigation, conducted by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and published on Monday, the attack targeted a family rest house in the Khirbat al-Adas area, northeast of Rafah Governorate, killing 15 civilians, including 13 women and children.
The strike was carried out without any warning and, the investigation states, in the absence of any military necessity.
The organization said the findings were based on months of field-based research, including on-site examination of the strike location, cross-checking of survivor and eyewitness testimonies, and technical analysis of digital materials.
The probe concluded that the targeted site was purely civilian in nature.
The airstrike occurred on the evening of Saturday, February 17, 2024, when an Israeli aircraft hit a chalet rented by the Abu Nahal family after they were displaced from their original home.
The structure was located in an open agricultural area, isolated from other buildings and, according to the investigation, clearly identifiable as a civilian object through aerial surveillance.
Euro-Med Monitor reported that the surrounding area was devoid of any military presence or armed faction activity. The investigation said this ruled out the existence of military objectives that could justify the strike.
At the time of the attack, 16 members of the Abu Nahal family had gathered inside the chalet, celebrating the marriage of Abdullah Abu Nahal, 26, to his cousin Mariam, 20.
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