Latest news with #Euro-MediterraneanHumanRightsMonitor
Days of Palestine
a day ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
American Aid: Death Traps for Gazans and Engineered Starvation
DaysofPal – Thousands of starving civilians in Gaza had no idea that heading to receive aid in western Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip—hoping to feed their hungry children—would turn them into targets of mass death and slaughter. In a horrifying scene that underscores the brutality of the Israeli occupation, the so-called 'American aid distribution centers' have become death traps, where Palestinians are being killed twice—once by starvation, and again by bullets and bombs. At dawn on Sunday, civilians in Rafah witnessed one of the deadliest massacres yet, carried out by Israeli occupation forces under the newly introduced aid distribution mechanism. The assault left at least 31 civilians dead and over 200 injured. According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Israeli forces—along with a U.S.-founded organization—directed Palestinians to collect aid from the Rafah area, instructing them to wait until 6 a.m. to pass through checkpoints. Instead of receiving food, they were met with direct fire from Israeli quadcopter drones, tank shells, and gas canisters allegedly deployed by staff from the American organization. Harrowing Scenes The massacre and the graphic images of the victims lying in blood near the American-Israeli aid center in Rafah sparked outrage on social media. Thousands of Palestinian and Arab users expressed shock and grief, calling the attack a heinous crime against starving civilians. Activists have pointed to U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Wietkoff as a key figure behind the tragedy. They argue that his rapid dismissal of Hamas's response to a ceasefire proposal gave Israel a green light to escalate military operations. 'The American aid was soaked in blood… dozens of martyrs piled on top of each other, gunned down while waiting for food,' one user wrote. Death, Chaos, and Humiliation Salah Abdel Ati, head of the International Commission to Support the Palestinian People's Rights (ICSPR), condemned the attacks, saying Israel had turned aid distribution points into zones of 'death, chaos, and humiliation.' Speaking to Safa News Agency, Abdel Ati emphasized that targeting civilians under the guise of humanitarian aid amounts to a war crime and a deliberate act of genocide. Since the start of this aid mechanism on May 27, at least 49 civilians have been killed and over 305 injured in Rafah and the Wadi Gaza Bridge area, with many still missing. He described the mechanism as a tool of mass killing, meant to weaponize hunger, dismantle international humanitarian frameworks, and sideline agencies like UNRWA. He called on the UN, the international community, and the signatories of the Geneva Conventions to take immediate steps to stop this engineered famine and protect civilians. A Policy of Engineered Genocide According to political analyst Wissam Afifa, the massacre was not an isolated incident but part of a broader policy of 'engineered genocide' dressed in humanitarian language—planned in Washington and executed by Israel. Afifa noted that Steve Wietkoff's visit was not aimed at brokering a ceasefire, but at forcing through a deal aligned with Israeli security interests. His silence on the Rafah massacre, analysts argue, further confirms the U.S. is no longer a neutral broker but an active participant. 'Humanitarian Aid' as a Cover for Execution Political commentator Eyad Al-Qarra said that the events in Rafah expose the true face of the U.S. administration, which continues to market Wietkoff's initiative as a 'humanitarian solution' while simultaneously complicit in bloodshed. He referred to the so-called Wietkoff proposal as a diplomatic façade meant to impose Israeli terms, while aid centers have functioned as execution grounds. 'Today, the starving were murdered in cold blood—with a clear American fingerprint,' Al-Qarra said. 'Were the aid shipments meant to feed the hungry—or to gather and execute them?' Al-Qarra concluded that this was not a tragic accident, but a premeditated massacre, reportedly involving armed personnel from the American organization overseeing aid. 'Those who fund the occupation, offer it political cover, and manage its aid distribution cannot pretend to be humanitarian.' Shortlink for this post:
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Israeli strike kills dozens near US aid centre in Rafah
Al-Aqsa TV has cited Gaza's Emergency and Ambulance Service as saying that at least 23 bodies have been retrieved and more than 200 people wounded following Israeli shelling and gunfire near a US aid distribution centre west of Rafah. The attack reportedly targeted Palestinians making their way to receive food aid. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the strike, accusing Israel of weaponising humanitarian relief and using it as "an additional tool within the system of genocide" against Palestinians. According to the group, the aid distribution site was under its supervision and managed in cooperation with an American company. The strike on the aid point west of Rafah left dozens dead and injured, deepening already dire concerns over the targeting of civilians seeking life-saving assistance.
Saba Yemen
6 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Euro-Med Monitor: Israel's video on Rafah massacre backfires as scandal
Gaza - SABA Rami Abdu, head of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, stated Sunday that the video published by the Israeli military spokesperson—intended to deny Israel's responsibility for the massacre of starving civilians near a U.S. aid distribution point in Rafah—has backfired, turning into a scandal. In a statement, Abdu revealed that the published footage actually showed an armed gang, backed by Israeli forces, looting seven flour trucks in Khan Younis—not Rafah. He explained: - Execution Under Surveillance: The gang, operating under Israeli drone observation, opened fire when civilians attempted to recover stolen aid. - Extortion Exposed: Anyone trying to take a flour bag without paying 100 shekels ($30) was shot or beaten by the occupation-backed gang. - Complicit Silence: Israeli drones monitored the entire incident without intervention. Abdu emphasized that the aerial footage—released to evade responsibility for the "Waitkov Massacre"—ultimately exposed Israel's protection of looting gangs. Earlier Sunday, Israeli forces committed a horrific massacre by attacking thousands of starving civilians gathered near a U.S. aid site in western Rafah, killing 31 and injuring over 200. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Euro-Med Monitor: "Israel" continues to impose famine as tool of genocide
Geneva – Saba: The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated on Tuesday that "Israel" continues to impose famine as a weapon of genocide, pushing civilians into humiliating chaos at aid distribution points. In a statement, the Monitor held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and for forcing civilians into degrading disorder at distribution points under their supervision. It added that the dangerous chaos witnessed today exemplifies "Israel's" use of aid as a weapon of humiliation, subjugation, and destruction, exposing the deliberate collapse of any possibility of accessing food. The Monitor confirmed that its field team observed today's aid distribution process and documented evidence of the absence of minimum humanitarian standards, both in terms of the distribution location and method. The report noted that thousands of starving civilians were forced to walk long kilometers to a single, deliberately humiliating distribution point, where they were funneled into narrow, fenced corridors to receive limited food parcels. The occupation forces deliberately humiliated civilians by trapping them between barbed wires, while the company managing the operation failed to provide even the minimum suitable conditions to accommodate the crowds that flocked to the site. The Monitor's team observed scenes of complete chaos and organizational collapse, with no fair or dignified distribution mechanism in place. It stressed that the occupation authorities have deliberately obstructed the work of international humanitarian organizations with expertise in relief operations and ensuring fair and organized aid access to civilians in Gaza. Today's events reflect an abysmal failure in managing the humanitarian situation and demonstrate "Israel's" continued use of starvation as a weapon of genocide against civilians. The food parcels distributed under the Israeli mechanism do not meet the minimum nutritional needs, and the limited distribution does not constitute any meaningful humanitarian response. The Monitor emphasized that the occupation government, which uses starvation as a central tool to carry out genocide, cannot be a party to the humanitarian process in any form. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Days of Palestine
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Euro-Med: Israel's New Gaza Aid Plan Violates Inter. Law
DaysofPal— The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) has denounced Israel's newly announced humanitarian aid mechanism in Gaza as a clear breach of international law designed to uproot Palestinians and cement military control, the organization said in a statement Sunday. According to Euro-Med, the plan is intended to 'mislead global public opinion,' which is increasingly alarmed by the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. 'Based on our field team's assessment, it is virtually impossible to meet current needs through a restricted, centralized system controlled by the occupying power,' the statement warned. Under the scheme, aid would be funneled through four distribution centers. Euro-Med cautioned that none can deliver assistance safely or effectively—and that the very design aims to drive tens of thousands of residents from Gaza and North Gaza governorates southward. Household heads would face invasive security screenings before receiving supplies, risking forced disappearance or arbitrary arrest. Even then, families would be compelled to traverse up to 30 kilometers each week on unpaved roads and without transport to claim meager rations, the monitor said. The new mechanism 'lacks any legal or humanitarian legitimacy and flagrantly violates international law and relief standards,' the group added. Rather than alleviating hunger, it represents 'a deliberate policy of managed starvation.' 'An Israeli government that uses starvation as a central tool of genocide cannot be a party to any humanitarian operation,' Euro-Med insisted. It called on all states to act immediately to restore unhindered aid access and lift Israel's unlawful siege of Gaza. An earlier report in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth detailed that three distribution points have been set up in Rafah between the Morag and Philadelphi corridors, with a fourth site on Salah al-Din Street between Netzarim and the central refugee camps. Each compound is ringed by internal boundary walls and dirt berms, further restricting movement and access. Shortlink for this post:
