Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday denounced that the Israeli military used American ammunition in at least two bomb attacks in the Gaza Strip, killing 43 civilians.
“The Israeli army used US-made Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) in two illegal and deadly airstrikes on homes full of civilians in the Gaza Strip,” accused AI, which on Tuesday published a comprehensive investigation into the bombings based on satellite images. photo analysis and interviews with survivors.
“The organization concluded that these airstrikes were direct attacks on civilians or civilian infrastructure or indiscriminate attacks, and calls for them to be investigated as war crimes,” the organization added in a statement.
The bombings in question took place on October 10 and 22 and resulted in the deaths of 24 and 19 people respectively.
Both hit family homes in the city of Deir al Balah and among the dead were 19 children, 14 women and 10 men.
“The fact that the Israeli military is using American-made ammunition in illegal attacks with deadly consequences for civilians should be an urgent wake-up call for the (Joe) Biden administration. American-made weapons have facilitated the killing of large numbers of families.” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
The NGO stressed that its investigation found “no indication that there were military targets at the sites of the two attacks” and called for them to be investigated as war crimes.
The analysis of the ammunition used was carried out by weapons experts, who used not only images but also fragments of the bombs recovered on site by AI researchers.
The group further urged the United States and other governments to “immediately stop transferring to Israel weapons that are likely to be used to commit violations of international law or increase the risks thereof.”
“Knowingly participating in violations violates the obligation to guarantee respect for international humanitarian law. A state that continues to supply weapons used to commit violations may share responsibility for these violations,” he added.
Israel declared war on Hamas on October 7 after an attack by the Islamist group that included the launch of more than 4,000 rockets and the infiltration of about 3,000 militants, who killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 240 in nearby Israeli communities. .
Israeli forces have since attacked the Palestinian enclave, where the Gaza Health Ministry says nearly 16,000 people have been killed, along with another 7,000 buried in the rubble.
This war has also left 1.8 million displaced people in the Gaza Strip, 80% of the total population, according to the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA.
In addition, at least 78 soldiers have been killed and hundreds injured since the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza began in late October.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
