Civilians in Gaza have nowhere safe to go: Amnesty International

By Mahmoud Barakat

ISTANBUL (AA) - Amnesty International said Sunday there are no areas of the Gaza Strip that could guarantee the safety of Palestinian civilians from Israeli airstrikes.

The non-governmental organization said on the social media platform X that targeting civilians on the evacuation “safe” route “is yet another brutal illustration that civilians in Gaza have nowhere safe to go.”

“Amnesty has verified six videos of an attack on 13 October 2023 resulting in civilian casualties along Salah-Al Deen Street, a route the Israeli army had designated as safe for civilians to flee after an Israeli ‘order’ told them to leave northern Gaza,” it said.

“At least 70 died,” Amnesty said, adding the convoy which left the northern Gaza Strip for its southern area following the Israeli army’s call included women, children and people with disabilities.

A first attack targeted the convoy, which included “a truck carrying around 30 people, 8 cars & other nearby people.”

In addition, “ambulances that arrived at the scene were hit in a second attack & rescuers injured,” it said.

Asserting that Israel’s evacuation call does not comply with international humanitarian law, Amnesty said the evacuation journey is “virtually impossible,” citing a lack of transport and the health conditions of the civilians.

Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian Hamas group in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers' growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended to cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern Strip to evacuate to the southern region.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,670, the local Health Ministry said Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said that 750 children were among the dead. The number of wounded has risen to 9,600, it said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s general death toll so far stands at 1,300, while the number of confirmed injured Israelis exceeds 3,400.