GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Israel is engaging in a risky strategy of destroying the security and justice structures in the Gaza Strip and undermining public order to guarantee the Palestinians’ annihilation of one another without resorting to direct military action, the Euro-Med Monitor revealed in a new report on Sunday.
“In order to spread chaos and insecurity as part of the genocidal war and create disastrous conditions that result in the destruction of Palestinians in the Strip as a whole, the Israeli army has attempted to target members of the security, humanitarian aid coordination, and civil police forces while they were working to secure its entry or while they were in their homes and shelters since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.”
The Euro-Med said that “the state of chaos brought about by the breakdown of the security system and the Israeli army’s permitting organized gangs to enter areas under its military control in order to steal humanitarian aid has resulted in the concerning rise of armed groups composed of masked individuals who carry out coordinated attacks against civilians under a variety of pretexts, including defending aid, in egregious violation of their basic rights and dignity guaranteed by international law.”
Due to the chaos and the breakdown of the security system in the Gaza Strip, some families have started using weapons, which are surprisingly common, to settle disputes among themselves, which has made the phenomenon of individual retaliation and the spread of disputes and revenge through illegal means more likely.
In addition to being a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law, Israel’s approach makes the population’s dire humanitarian situation worse. Israel’s 15-month-long genocide in Gaza has made these conditions worse by systematically destroying civilian infrastructure, undermining political institutions, and increasing the suffering of the civilian populace in a way never seen before.
The Euro-Med said that these actions are occurring outside of the legal system and without any legal processes that protect the accused’s rights or look into the accusations made against them. This represents a grave lack of justice as well as a blatant violation of fundamental rights and human dignity.
According to the report, these violations are part of an Israeli strategy to destroy the Gaza Strip’s security and justice system by bombing official and alternative police stations, judicial institutions, and police officers and staff, including local security personnel represented by private companies or civil committees.
Regulating this situation and making sure that any party tasked with upholding community security follows the law and respects human dignity are obligations of the Gaza Strip’s authorities and the relevant Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas.
The Euro-Med stressed the importance of upholding the values of justice and human dignity and guaranteeing that those suspected of violating them are treated humanely and with discipline.
The Geneva-based organization also called on the international community to put more pressure on Israel to cease attacking the justice system and police, which are vital civil institutions.
