Israel Killed 100+ Civilians in ‘Apparent War Crime’ – HRW

A deadly Israeli airstrike on a six-story apartment block early in the Gaza war likely constituted a war crime, rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported, citing interviews with witnesses, satellite imagery and photo and video evidence. More than 100 noncombatants were killed in the bombing – over half of them children.

The October 31 strike targeted a residential complex known as the ‘Engineers’ Building’ in central Gaza, situated along the Salah al-Din highway bisecting the territory. According to witnesses of the attack, the Israeli air raid came “without warning,” with at least four munitions hitting the building in a matter of seconds, leaving it “completely demolished.” 

“Human Rights Watch found no evidence of a military target in the vicinity of the building at the time of the Israeli attack, making the strike unlawfully indiscriminate under the laws of war. Israeli authorities have provided no justification for the attack,” the humanitarian org said in a detailed press release published on Thursday.