Euro-Med: “Israeli tanks opened fire on Palestinian civilians”

As Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip continue for the 147th day, it adds a new one to its brutal attacks on civilians every day. Following the Israeli army's opening fire yesterday on Palestinians waiting for food aid in the southwest of Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of 112 civilians, public opinion has once again reacted against Israel.

The Switzerland-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) responded today to Israel's statement following the attack, which claimed that “civilians died due to a stampede.”

In its statement, the organization said, “Initial investigations confirm that Israeli tanks opened heavy fire on Palestinians attempting to receive humanitarian aid in Gaza, and that hundreds of civilians were killed or wounded,” while noting that the Israeli army is attempting to distance itself from the atrocity by releasing selectively edited videos.

The statement, which highlighted four pieces of evidence confirming that the Israeli army shot at civilians, reported that the first piece of evidence consists of the wound marks on the bodies of the dead and wounded. The statement added, “Civilians brought to Al-Shifa Hospital have been documented by the organization's researcher.”

"THERE IS AUDIO EVIDENCE OF FIRE BEING OPENED"

In the organization's statement, it was noted that the second piece of evidence is the footage released by Israel, stating, “This footage contains audio evidence of fire being opened from Israeli tanks stationed near the coast. However, the army intentionally concealed this in the video by using black color. Eyewitnesses have confirmed that the tanks were located near the scene of the incident.”

The statement indicated that the third piece of evidence relates to the acoustic signature of the bullets, which can be heard in the footage released at the moment of the shooting, and it was determined that they came from an automatic weapon using 5.56 ammunition used by the Israeli army.

Finally, it was stated that the video released by the Israeli army was intentionally edited and distorted, and that two Israeli tanks could be seen in the footage with numerous bodies around them.

In its statement, Euro-Med emphasized that Israeli forces clearly targeted civilians who posed no threat to them.

News Source: İHA