UN Special Rapporteur: Israeli airstrikes on Gaza ‘illegal,’ ‘immoral’

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory has condemned Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, calling it a “flagrant act of aggression”.

“As international law only permits the use of force in self-defence, Operation Breaking Dawn is a flagrant act of aggression. Illegal. Immoral. Irresponsible,” Francesca Albanese tweeted on Saturday.

I condemn Israel's airstrikes in Gaza to allegedly 'deter' Islamic Jihad's possible retaliation for its leader's arrest.

As Int'l Law only permits the use of force in self-defense, Operation Breaking Dawn is a flagrant act of aggression.

Illegal. Immoral. Irresponsible.

— Francesca Albanese, UN SRoPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 6, 2022

Since Friday afternoon, Israeli occupation has been launching a series of air strikes and artillery fire in Gaza in an aggression that left, so far, at least 29 Palestinians dead, including six children and two Islamic Jihad commanders. At least 253 civilians have been injured as well, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Israel’ announced on Saturday it has started a new military operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza; the operation was dubbed “Breaking Dawn”.

The Israeli attacks targeted different areas: Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south of the strip, al-Shuja’iya neighborhood and Jabalia camp in the north, and a residential building in central Gaza.

The aggression comes after days of tension with the Islamic Jihad movement after a senior leader of the group, Bassam al-Saadi, was brutally arrested and attacked last Monday by Israeli forces during a military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Saadi’s son-in-law, Ashraf al-Jada, was also arrested in the raid; Saadi’s wife sustained injuries during the arrest and was taken to hospital for treatment. During the same raid, Israeli forces also shot and killed 17-year-old Palestinian Dirar al-Kafrayni.

The strikes also came after days of border closures, including the closure of the Karam Abu Salem commercial crossing, which is responsible for the flow of fuel needed for Gaza’s sole power plant.

Earlier this week, Israeli occupation closed roads around Gaza and sent reinforcements to the border as it braced for a response after the arrest of al-Saadi.

Ahmed Mudalal, an Islamic Jihad official in Gaza, said the movement had made demands on Israeli occupation through Egyptian mediators, including the release of the al-Saadi and another detainee who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for over 155 days in protest against his administrative detention, a halt to West Bank raids, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade. He said they have not yet received a response.

Responding to the aggressive attacks, the Islamic Jihad said in a statement, “The enemy has begun a war targeting our people, and we all have the duty to defend ourselves and our people, and not allow the enemy to get away with its actions which are aimed at undermining the resistance and national steadfastness.”

Ziad al-Nakhalah, head of the Islamic Jihad, said there are no limits in this round of fighting and that Tel Aviv will be targeted.

“There are no red lines in this battle and Tel Aviv will fall under the rockets of resistance, as well as all Israeli cities,” he said.

Fawzi Barhoum, the spokesperson for Hamas, said the resistance factions in Gaza are united and ready to respond with “full force”.

In response to the Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian resistance factions have fired rockets from Gaza towards ‘Israel’ and illegal settlements.

Israel’s military warned on Saturday that deadly air raids on Gaza could last a week, as it attacked the besieged coastal enclave for a third day in the worst aggression since last year’s war, AFP reported.

An Israeli military spokesman said its forces were “preparing for the operation to last a week,” and told AFP that the forces are “not currently holding ceasefire negotiations”.