THE Gaza Centre for Human Rights has condemned Israel’s decision to close Gaza’s crossings, including Kerem Shalom and Rafah, amid the military escalation between Israel and Iran, as another act of collective punishment against more than two million Palestinians.
In a statement yesterday, the Centre said Israel is exploiting regional developments to tighten restrictions on Gaza’s civilians and linking their humanitarian needs to political and security events unrelated to them.
The Centre said the closure violates international humanitarian law, stressing that civilians must not be used as a tool of political pressure or made to bear the consequences of regional conflicts.
It warned that the decision comes as Gaza is already facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with aid and fuel entering at levels far below those required under the ceasefire agreement reached last October.
Any additional closure, even if temporary, would have serious consequences, especially amid acute shortages of food, medicine and fuel, and continued pressure on the health sector.
Thousands of patients and wounded Palestinians depend on open crossings to receive treatment and medical care, while restrictions on travel and essential supplies further endanger vulnerable groups.
The Centre called for the immediate and unconditional opening of all Gaza crossings, the continued flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies, the free movement of patients and travellers, and full compliance with agreed aid and fuel entry levels.
It also urged the international community to act urgently to prevent Israel from using regional escalation as a pretext to tighten the blockade, and to ensure protection for civilians and accountability for serious violations of international law.
- Two Palestinian civilians were killed and others wounded yesterday morning when an Israeli airstrike targeted tents sheltering displaced families in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli occupation army launched an artillery attack on areas east of Khan Younis, while firing flares over the region.
They also fired smoke grenades near Salahuddin Street at the Bani Suheila rotary east of Khan Younis, while tanks opened fire towards the eastern areas of Gaza City.
On Sunday evening, four civilians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City’s al-Nasr neighbourhood.
