22 December,2023 07:00 AM IST | Jerusalem | Agencies
Palestinians check the rubble following Israeli strikes in Khan Yunis. Pic/AP
The UN human rights office has called for an independent inquiry into allegations that Israeli forces "summarily executed" at least 11 Palestinian men in Gaza in what it called "a possible war crime". "The Israeli authorities must immediately institute an independent, thorough and effective investigation into these allegations, and if found to be substantiated, those responsible must be brought to justice and measures implemented to prevent any such serious violations from recurring," said the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in a statement on Wednesday.
Al Jazeera spoke to several witnesses to Tuesday's raid during which Israeli troops allegedly surrounded and stormed a residential building, going floor to floor to separate the men from the women and children, and then shooting dead 11 of the men in front of their family members. The men were in their 20s and 30s, survivors said. "They saw us, men and their wives and children. My brother-in-law tried to speak and explain all in the house are civilians, but they shot him dead," one survivor told Al Jazeera of the attack on families who were sheltering in al-Adwa building in Gaza City's Remal neighbourhood.
The soldiers "forced their way into every home, killed the men and detained the women and children. We do not know their whereabouts. They did the same on every floor. All women were rounded up in one room. By the time they reached us on the sixth floor, they started shooting all men," a woman said, adding that her father-in-law and son were shot and killed instantly. Survivors also said that the Israeli soldiers attacked the women and children after ordering them into a room in the residential block also known as Annan building.
Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona overnight Wednesday, prompting Israel to retaliate by striking terror sites in Lebanon. The municipality said that at least eight rockets were launched, two of which impacted in the city, causing damage to infrastructure, including homes, vehicles and a preschool, but no injuries. Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercepted five of the rockets, with the other landing in an open area, according to authorities. In response, Israeli aircraft struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory and artillery shelled the source of the rocket fire. Hours earlier, four rockets were fired from Syria towards Israel, setting off sirens in northern towns. In response, the IDF shelled the source of the fire and hit a Syrian army position.
The Israeli military said it had uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave. The army said it had exposed the center of a vast underground network used by Hamas to move weapons, militants and supplies throughout Gaza Strip.
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