The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has stated that the UN must investigate the killing of unarmed Palestinian men on a beach in Gaza.
According to footage obtained by a news agency, the two Palestinian men were shot at close range near the Nabulsi Roundabout southwest of Gaza City, while trying to return to their homes in the north.
One of the men repeatedly waved what appears to be white fabric to show they are not a threat.
Despite this, they were shot. The bodies of the two were then buried in a pile of rubble and sand by an Israeli bulldozer.
Calling for an international investigation, the council said that Israel appears to “kill Palestinians on a whim” and then treats the bodies of its victims “like trash.”
“The genocidal Israeli [government] must be investigated by the UN,” CAIR said on social media.
“This genocide must be stopped, not excused or supported with weapons [and] rhetoric,” it added.
In a statement, Hamas called the Israeli forces’ shooting of two unarmed Palestinian men in Gaza before bulldozing their bodies a “heinous crime.”
“It is further evidence of the scale of fascism and criminality that governs Zionist behavior, in the context of the brutal war of extermination against our people in the Gaza Strip,” the statement added.
Hamas appealed to the UN and the International Criminal Court to “take urgent action to stop the systematic killing of our people” and hold accountable the “war criminals” responsible for crimes against “defenseless civilians.”
Professor Richard Falk, a former UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine, labelled the shooting as a “vivid confirmation of continuing Israeli atrocities” in Gaza that are “being carried out on a daily basis.”
Falk added that Israel is unconcerned with upholding international humanitarian law and is refusing to alter its behaviour in Gaza despite the recent ceasefire resolution of the UN Security Council.
“It is a shocking reality that there has been no adverse reaction from the liberal democracies in the West. It is a shameful moment in Western, international moral behaviour.”
Richard Falk
Moreover, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) called on the international community to hold Israel accountable.
PRCS Spokesperson, Nebal Farsakh told a news agency that it was obvious that Israel was making an attempt to hide the evidence.
“Israel is getting away with this because of the silence of the international community. How many thousands of Palestinians should be killed before the world takes serious steps to hold Israel accountable and to have an immediate and sustained ceasefire?”
Nebal Farsakh
Farsakh noted that the situation on the ground in Gaza was worsening amid Israel’s ongoing intentional attacks on aid workers and civilians.
Shooting Incidence At West Bank
Also on Thursday, masked gunman in military uniform opened fire on vehicles, including a school bus on Route 90 in the occupied West Bank, wounding at least three people, including a 13-year-old boy.
Route 90 passes through the Jordan Valley.
The Israeli military said soldiers had blocked routes in the area, adjacent to the town of Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley, following reports and were pursuing the gunman.
The King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank was closed after a masked gunman opened fire on vehicles.
The bridge is currently the only official border crossing and the sole exit and entry point for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to travel abroad via land.
According to Palestinian figures, there were at least 40 shootings against Israelis last month and there were about 70 the month before.
Some of these happened on routes like Route 90, where this latest shooting took place, which connects illegal Israeli settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.
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