Sir, – What just happened? Israeli forces attacked the civilian population of Gaza, killing 44 people, including 15 children cowering in their homes, and a 74-year-old woman sitting in her car. No Israelis died in the three days of “conflict”.
This is in direct contravention of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Section 8, War Crimes, which outlaws “Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual citizens not taking part in hostilities”.
Israel claimed the dead included Jihad Islamic commander Taysir Al-Jahari, who was killed in his Gaza apartment (“Israel strikes against Islamists in Gaza killing at least 10 in surprise attacks”, News, August 5th). They called this a pre-emptive strike.
The indiscriminate bombing of innocent people is something we’ve become only too aware of, in the inhuman attacks by Russia against Ukrainian civilians .
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The attacks over the last few days on the innocent people of Gaza are no different.
Yet Israel remains unsanctioned, and continues to enjoy preferential trade with the EU under the Euro-Med trade agreement. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney could only manage a plea for restraint to Israelis and Palestinians alike, with no condemnation of these horrific killings. I’m sure his words will not provide much consolation to the grieving family of five-year-old Alaa Abdullah Riyad Qaddoum. – Yours, etc,
BETTY PURCELL,
Dublin 6W.