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Israel/OPT: Israeli military must be investigated for war crime of wanton destruction in Gaza – new investigation [1]
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Date: 2024-09-04 23:01:00+00:00
Videos published by Israeli soldiers on social media and verified by Amnesty International show the destruction of buildings in Khuza’a.
The town of Khuza’a in the Khan Younis governorate in southern Gaza was home to approximately 11,000 Palestinians. In the seven weeks following 7 October 2023, satellite imagery shows that an estimated 178 structures in and around the town were destroyed or severely damaged – many by airstrikes. However, more significant destruction started once Israeli ground forces entered the town at a larger scale in late December 2023. More than 850 structures were destroyed or severely damaged between 26 November 2023 and 7 January 2024, according to UNOSAT.
On 27 December, the Israeli military announced it had started an operation dubbed “Oz and Nir” in reference to the Nir Oz kibbutz, a community in the so-called “Gaza envelope” that was attacked by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October. Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, the commander of the Israeli military’s Gaza Division, wrote in a message to troops: “On the cursed Sabbath, October 7, the horrible terrorists, who committed the most horrible crimes imaginable, came from Khirbat Khizaaa (Khuza’a). We will work with all our might to eliminate the terrorists hiding there above and below the ground, and to dismantle the infrastructures of terrorism and evil.”
On 28 December, an Israeli soldier from the 8219 Engineering Battalion published the first video on social media of a demolition in Khuza’a. He wrote: “On 7/10, many terrorists came out of the houses here to slaughter the residents of Nir Oz. Tonight, we destroyed 30 of them.” Satellite imagery confirms that at least 30 houses in the area were destroyed between 26 and 30 December 2023.
Satellite imagery shows a section of Khuza’a was destroyed between 26 and 30 December 2023.
In the days that followed, the same soldier posted five more videos showing explosive demolitions, most of them filmed from the same rooftop. Soldiers appear smiling and posing for the camera, smoking cigarettes or shisha pipes, or toasting with drinks while blasts destroy several buildings in the background. In one of the videos, three soldiers walk towards the camera as an explosion is detonated behind them. The text in Arabic reads: “We came back from the dead to haunt you.” The soldiers’ actions in the videos indicate there was no imminent threat at the time and location.
On 29 December, the Israeli military announced that its soldiers were working to gain operational control over Khuza’a, and claimed they had found dozens of tunnels, weapons and rocket launchers. Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had previously announced on its Telegram channel that it had launched rocket-propelled grenades and mortars at Israeli troops from the Khuza’a area.
On 3 January 2024, the Israeli military took a crew from Israel’s Now 14 TV around Khuza’a. Soldiers showed how they used M15 anti-tank landmines to destroy buildings. The crew interviewed soldiers next to buildings set to be demolished, indicating there was no imminent threat. Cables were seen being set around a structure with the numbers 8219 marked on the walls, which is the designation of the Engineering Battalion.
On 10 January, the Israeli military announced it had completed its operation in Khuza’a and said it had “destroyed hundreds of terrorist infrastructures, rocket launch positions and observation posts,” adding that soldiers “eliminated dozens of terrorists and uncovered and destroyed about 40 tunnel shafts”.
However, satellite imagery and videos revealed troops had also destroyed hundreds of residential buildings, a cemetery and a primary school. Most of the buildings demolished stood within 1km to 1.2km of the perimeter fence. Systematically destroying civilian objects in retaliation for actions by armed groups may constitute collective punishment and should be investigated as a war crime.
Satellite imagery from 6 December 2023 and 16 January 2024 shows the destruction of land and structures in Khuza’a. The area within 1 kilometre of the fence line – demarcated with a yellow dashed line – is heavily scraped with almost every structure destroyed. The destruction continues beyond the 1 kilometre line in some places. Satellite imagery from 6 December 2023 and 16 January 2024 shows the destruction of land and structures in Khuza’a. The area within 1 kilometre of the fence line – demarcated with a yellow dashed line – is heavily scraped with almost every structure destroyed. The destruction continues beyond the 1 kilometre line in some places. Satellite imagery from 6 December 2023 and 16 January 2024 shows the destruction of land and structures in Khuza’a. The area within 1 kilometre of the fence line – demarcated with a yellow dashed line – is heavily scraped with almost every structure destroyed. The destruction continues beyond the 1 kilometre line in some places.
Dr Salem Qudeih, a teacher who lived in Khuza’a with his family, told Amnesty International: “My home was about 1,650m from the border [with Israel]. We left home on 11 October because the area had become too dangerous.
“Around my family home we had a three dunam (0.7 acre) orchard full of fruit trees. They were all destroyed. Only an apple tree and a rose were left. I had bees and produced honey. All of it is gone now. Out of the 222 houses of my relatives in the area, only about a dozen remain. My home – where I lived with my wife, my five daughters and one son – was completely destroyed.”
My home – where I lived with my wife, my five daughters and one son – was completely destroyed Dr Salem Qudeih
Tahani al-Najjar, a 42-year-old Khuza’a resident, told Amnesty International: “The shelling started on the first day [8 October 2023]. My uncle, his wife, children and grandchildren were killed on that first morning… seven people.
“After that we all left the area, with all the relatives from my extended family. We are more than 500 families… My son went to check on our home recently and found that our home is about the only one which is still standing in our area, but it is badly damaged. All around is just destruction…
“In our area, the al-Najjar families mostly had orchards around the homes, where families grew their fruits and vegetables. And all around the area were larger farms which produced vegetables and poultry. Much of the food produced in Gaza is from our area. People have not just lost their homes, but also their livelihoods. The whole of Gaza has lost its food production.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/09/israel-opt-israeli-military-must-be-investigated-for-war-crime-of-wanton-destruction-in-gaza-new-investigation/
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