Israel’s war on Gaza has become the deadliest conflict in the 21st century and has been characterized as a genocide by numerous legal experts around the world.

While genocides have taken place in different parts of the world throughout history, as a lawyer defending South Africa’s genocide case against Israel mentioned, Palestinians have become the only people across centuries to air and document their own demise. Although the regime has tried to obfuscate its military’s conduct in Gaza by targeting and killing dozens of journalists in the enclave, we have still managed to take a glimpse of some of the distressing realities experienced by the Palestinians. Below is a list of some of the most disturbing war crimes Israel has committed in Gaza in the past 100 days:

Collective punishment

When Israeli War Minister Yoav Gallant stood before the world and announced a “full blockade” on Gaza while describing its people as “human animals”, the U.S. and Europe seemed to approve of the act by staying silent on the shocking remarks. By putting Gaza under siege, Israel has exposed a population of 2.3 million people, more than half of them children, to famine and disease. According to the UN, Israel’s siege on Gaza amounts to collective punishment which is a well-recognized war crime. The body says over 90 percent of the people in Gaza are currently going hungry amidst their struggle with the devastating physical and mental effects of the regime’s relentless attacks on civilian sites.

Homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship under attack

The widespread destruction of homes in Gaza, the deliberate targeting of medical facilities and educational institutions, and the leveling of places of worship by Israel flagrantly violate international humanitarian law (IHL). A cornerstone of this law is outlined in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, adopted by nations worldwide. The Israeli regime has also ratified the conventions.

Initially, Israel justified its attacks on civilian infrastructure by asserting that Hamas employed civilian shields and conducted military operations from hospitals and schools. Nonetheless, the regime failed to substantiate these claims once it had bombarded and invaded these sites, resulting in the massacre of innocent civilians seeking refuge within. This egregious conduct amounts to yet another war crime by Israel, as it constitutes the deliberate targeting of locations explicitly safeguarded by international humanitarian law.

Civilians humiliated

Several images that surfaced on the internet sometime in November sowed fear among human rights groups, who found it difficult to believe how low the Israeli regime is willing to stoop. The photos depicted numerous Palestinian men kneeling on the ground, stripped naked, and blindfolded, while Israeli soldiers aimed their weapons at them. Israel claimed that these individuals were combatants from the Hamas group. Upon closer examination, it became evident that these men were far from fighters; among them were a journalist, a baker, a nurse, and a teacher.

Forced displacement

A "forcible transfer" is the coercive displacement of a civilian population during an offensive which is recognized as a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Repeatedly, Israel has distributed leaflets in Gaza, urging its more than 2 million residents to vacate their homes under the threat of death. While Israel lacks the authority to issue such directives, it has further crossed ethical bounds by targeting and killing civilians who complied with the evacuation orders. Moreover, the regime has actively pursued the forceful relocation of the entire Gaza population to regional countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

Use of banned weapons

On multiple occasions, Israel has employed American white phosphorus munitions in attacks on Gaza. White phosphorus ignites upon contact, inflicting deep and severe injuries that can lead to multiple organ failure, and even minor burns can prove fatal. As highlighted by Human Rights Watch, the use of white phosphorus is deemed "unlawfully indiscriminate" when airburst in densely populated urban areas. This conduct violates the imperative under international humanitarian law to undertake all feasible precautions to prevent civilian harm and loss of life.