ISTANBUL – Amnesty International said on Sunday that there are no areas of the Gaza Strip that could guarantee the safety of Palestinian civilians from Israeli airstrikes.
The non-governmental organisation said targeting civilians on the evacuation “safe” route “is yet another brutal illustration that civilians in Gaza have nowhere safe to go.”
“Amnesty has verified six videos of an attack on 13 Oct 2023 resulting in civilian casualties along Salah-Al Deen Street, a route the Israeli army had designated as safe for civilians to flee after an Israeli ‘order’ told them to leave northern Gaza,” Anadolu Agency quoted the organisation as saying on X.
“At least 70 died,” Amnesty said, adding the convoy which left the northern Gaza Strip for its southern area included women, children and people with disabilities.
The first attack targeted the convoy, which included “a truck carrying around 30 people, 8 cars and other nearby people.”
In addition, “ambulances that arrived at the scene were hit in a second attack and rescuers injured,” it said.
Asserting that Israel’s evacuation call does not comply with international humanitarian law, Amnesty said the evacuation journey is “virtually impossible,” citing a lack of transport and the health conditions of the civilians.
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Oct 7 has risen to 2,670, the local Health Ministry said Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said that 750 children were among the dead. The number of wounded has risen to 9,600, it said.- Bernama
