Where Do We Go?
The displacement hasn't ceased for eight months at all. There is nowhere for the Palestinians of Gaza to live; even tents are no longer secure. They are still the targets of constant massacres perpetrated by this criminal occupation. The genocide project has been going on for eight months. The Zionist enemy is targeting Rafah, which has become a haven for almost a million Palestinians, as part of a systematic displacement strategy across the Gaza Strip. The goal is to establish the crime of Palestinian forced displacement, which is classified as ongoing genocide since October 7th.
"Where do we go?" This is the cry of the displaced people of Rafah, who, following the beginning of the Israeli army's attack on what was thought to be the last safe haven, set off on a trip into the unknown. Following earlier directives from the Israeli occupation, which sent them in the direction of Rafah as a safe haven, they had fled there. There, more than a million Palestinians have moved, setting up tents in unfavorable weather and without access to essential supplies for survival.
One of the displaced people living in tents in Rafah stated, "I came to Rafah after fleeing the sea, and now the Israeli army is dropping leaflets informing us that Rafah has turned into a combat zone! They've begun to shell and bomb, and we have no idea where to go! I refuse to leave Gaza even though I have seven children and no money to travel outside of it. We're not going to abandon Gaza.
"We do not know where to go," said another displaced person. The sound of rockets and bombardment woke us up around six in the morning. God is aware of our situation, and we are moving forward. I have kids, and we don't have anything—not even tents. In addition, I have to get my relatives who are still being bombarded, and I will be coming back for them."
The 36-year-old Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar pondered, "Where can we go? We're not sure. There are thousands of displaced individuals living in overcrowding in the Muwasi districts, where there are no schools to house them. There are thirteen of us in my family. "My aunt is sick and requires kidney dialysis at Najjar Hospital, which is also in the evacuation area," he continued. How are we going to treat her condition? Especially considering Muwasi is remote from all services and lacks hospitals. Shall we wait for her to pass away before taking any action to save her?
Israel's atrocities against the displaced in Rafah, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, are a flagrant breach of international law and the International Court of Justice's order to stop the offensive on the governorate. Not long after the session, Israel increased bombing, death, and devastation in a clear rejection of the court's ruling.
The Monitor underlined that Israeli military actions in Rafah are severely violating international humanitarian law, particularly the requirements of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity. As a result, people in the area are bearing the brunt of these attacks.
It stated that entry to the World Food Program warehouse and the UNRWA distribution facility, both of which are located in Rafah, is still impossible due to the ongoing Israeli military onslaught on the city. Since the army assumed control of the crossing early on May 7, Israeli forces have continued to bar the entry of humanitarian aid and to restrict transit to and from the Rafah border crossing, including for sick and the injured.
Drawing from the aforementioned, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor restated its appeal for all nations to discharge their global obligations by enacting strong sanctions against Israel and ceasing all governmental, financial, and military assistance, as well as the immediate termination of arms deals, export permits, and military assistance. If not, these nations would be collaborators and accomplices in the crimes, including the crime of genocide, carried out in the Gaza Strip.
The Monitor also called on the International Criminal Court to investigate all crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, broaden the investigation's focus to include all accountable officials, issue arrest warrants for them, and categorically identify and deal with Israel's crimes in the Gaza Strip as genocide because they are under the purview of the International Criminal Court.