'Systematic Israeli theft' occurring in civilian homes in Gaza, says rights monitor

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Israel, while attacking Gaza, is also 'systematically' engaging in "property theft and looting," a human rights monitor said.

"The Israeli army has unleashed its soldiers in the Gaza Strip to not only kill, but to engage in immoral activities such as property theft and looting during raids on Palestinian civilian homes," the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement on Friday.

Citing reports and testimonies, the rights group said Israeli soldiers are participating in and witnessing the "deliberate theft of the assets and money" of Palestinian civilians, including computers, gold, and cash.

Mentioning that the Israeli army has been conducting military operations in the besieged enclave since October, the Euro-Med said the operations include raiding homes, storming residential areas, and conducting arbitrary arrests of civilians.

The group accused the Israeli army, which has killed more than 21,000 Palestinians in the coastal territory in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Hamas, of doing these "property theft and looting" as part of a "systematic strategy."

"Based on the testimonies ... preliminary estimates suggest that the Israeli army may have looted valuable possessions worth tens of millions of dollars, in addition to stealing personal belongings from Palestinian civilians," the release said.

Thabet Salim, a 40-year-old Palestinian, told Euro-Med that he and his two sons were taken into custody by the Israeli army from their house in the Zaytoun neighborhood, and members of the army had "pilfered" all of the gold and cash that was on hand.

"The amount of money the soldiers took from my house is worth more than $10,000," Salim said, adding that they also took nearly the same amount of gold from his wife, and the spouse of his eldest son.

A woman named Umm Muhammad Gharbiyya, who lives in the Al-Shuja’iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, said the Israeli forces forcibly took her gold jewelry after violently breaking into her family’s house earlier this month.

The non-profit called for a "comprehensive and impartial international investigation" into the "grave Israeli violations" against the residents of the Gaza Strip and their property.

They also called on the international community to take urgent measures to ensure Israel is held accountable.