News - Middle East: The ongoing Israeli massacre in Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex and surrounding areas has left at least 100 Palestinians dead, many of whom were victims of extrajudicial executions after their arrest. The international community must intervene immediately to put an end to this atrocity.

Newly-released detainees and eyewitnesses told Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor that Israeli army forces have carried out unlawful killings and executions against displaced Palestinian civilians inside Al-Shifa Medical Complex for three days in a row, and that the military operations there are ongoing.

A survivor who asked to be identified only as “M.K.” confirmed that Israeli soldiers repeatedly took prisoners into the hospital’s morgue area, that gunshots were then heard, and that the soldiers left without the prisoners. “The soldiers detained me and handcuffed me in the hospital courtyard; I was left undressed for more than nine hours,” M.K. stated.

“About four times during that period, I saw soldiers lead groups of detainees—[always] at least three people and [never] more than 10—into the hospital buildings, particularly the morgue building where bodies had previously been kept,” added M.K. “Gunshots were heard, with the soldiers then leaving the area to bring another group there.”

Another witness, who preferred to remain completely anonymous due to safety concerns, and who was able to leave Al-Shifa Medical Complex recently, confirmed to the Euro-Med Monitor team that he witnessed Israeli forces taking eight or 10 Palestinian civilians at a time towards the morgue area. He then heard heavy gunfire, and the Israeli forces later left without the civilians. 

These civilians were likely subjected to unlawful killings and executions, as all the information obtained by Euro-Med Monitor’s field team suggests that since Al-Shifa Medical Complex was restored on Sunday/Monday night, 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in and outside of it.

The Israeli army has acknowledged that it killed 90 people during the ongoing military operation in Al-Shifa Medical Complex. An international committee must be established to investigate the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israeli forces as part of its genocide campaign, which includes planned killings and executions against civilians that are outside the purview of the law and judiciary.

Meanwhile, Israel’s army is still arbitrarily detaining hundreds of civilians for the third day in a row, including medical personnel and immobile patients, amid an environment of intimidation and heavy Israeli gunfire.

About 320 people have already been detained, including journalists, medical personnel, and displaced people, many of whom have been tortured and forced to remain fully nude or dressed in flimsy white clothes. More than half of these individuals have been transported in trucks and military vehicles to Israeli detention facilities.

The ongoing events at Al-Shifa Medical Complex and the risks faced by civilians there, including patients, healthcare workers, and displaced people seeking refuge—who are protected by international humanitarian law—are deeply concerning. As hospitals and medical facilities are required to be protected, the international community must take on its responsibilities to protect all Gaza Strip residents and force Israel to end its genocide against Palestinians in the Strip.