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October 22, 2024

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Oxfam calls for investigation into killing of aid workers in Gaza, while doctors denounce ‘collective punishment’

Oxfam calls for investigation into killing of aid workers in Gaza, while doctors denounce ‘collective punishment’

Tupav kirk06 mins

Important points
  • Four Oxfam water engineers were killed in southern Gaza while they were on their way to repair water infrastructure.
  • Their “clearly marked vehicle” was bombed despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities, the aid group said.
  • Doctors Without Borders called on Israeli forces to “immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip.”
Oxfam has condemned the killing of four water engineers who the charity said were on their way to repair water infrastructure in southern Gaza when their “clearly marked vehicle” was bombed.
The organization said the four people, who worked with Oxfam partner Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), had previously coordinated their movements with Israeli authorities before they were killed on Saturday while en route to repair work in Khan Younis.

“Despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities, their clearly marked vehicle was bombed,” Oxfam said.

Oxfam called for accountability and an independent investigation into the incident, adding that dozens of engineers, civil and in Israeli airstrikes during this Hamas-Israel war.

“They all worked on essential services to keep Gaza’s fragile infrastructure running. Although their movements were coordinated by the CMWU and the Palestinian Water Authority with the Israeli authorities to ensure their safety, they were still targeted.”

“We reiterate our calls for a ceasefire, an immediate halt to arms sales to Israel and to the international community to ensure that Israel is held accountable for its continued attacks on civilians and those providing life-saving services.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been contacted for comment.

“Bodies scattered on the streets”

On October 6, the IDF launched a widespread air and ground attack on the northern Gaza Strip. It has since tightened its siege, displacing tens of thousands of people.

More than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the north in the last two weeks, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense Authority.

“Due to the ongoing shelling, dozens of bodies are scattered in the streets of Jabalia,” Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Gaza Strip Civil Defense Authority, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Bassal said the dead included women, children and the elderly.

“They were all transferred to Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda and Indonesian hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip,” Bassal said.

When contacted by the AFP news agency, the Israeli military’s press department said it was “reviewing” the reports.
On Sunday, Bassal said at least 73 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential area in Beit Lahia, in the north of the territory.
Israel said it struck a “Hamas terror target” but gave no further details about who the target of the attack was and disputed the number of casualties given by Gaza authorities.

The initial investigation found that the numbers “do not match IDF (army) information, the exact munitions used and the accuracy of the attack on a Hamas terrorist target.”

Doctors criticize “collective punishment”

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, on Sunday called on Israeli forces to “immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip.”
The group said Israeli forces “besieged and targeted” Indonesian hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, citing health workers and the Gaza Health Ministry.

Doctors Without Borders said more than 350 patients were trapped inside, including pregnant women and people who had recently undergone surgical procedures, require ongoing medical treatment and are unable to leave the room.

“This is simply a collective punishment for Palestinians in Gaza, who must choose whether to be driven out of the north or killed. We fear this will not stop,” said Anna Halford, Médecins Sans Frontières emergency coordinator in Gaza.

“There appears to be no end in sight to Israel’s all-out war against Gaza. Israel’s allies bear heavy responsibility for this dire situation caused by their unwavering support of the war. They must immediately do everything in their power to achieve a permanent ceasefire. “Not tomorrow, not in a week,” Halford added.

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