The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor calls on the occupation to hand over Palestinian children kidnapped

Occupied Al-Quds, (ST) – The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called on the Israeli occupation to immediately hand over Palestinian children kidnapped by its forces from the Gaza Strip to their families. It said that this crime is another form of the ongoing crime of genocide against the people of the Strip since last October 7.

The Monitor said on Tuesday in a statement: We view with great seriousness what was reported by Israeli Army Radio on January 1, 2024, about the kidnapping of a Palestinian infant from inside her home by an Israeli officer named “Harel Itah” in Gaza Strip, after her family members were killed in an Israeli raid.

The fate and whereabouts of the infant girl are still unknown.

The Monitor indicated that there are many testimonies received by the Monitor that show that the occupation forces repeatedly detain and kidnap Palestinian children without giving further information  later  about their fate.

In this context, the Monitor transmitted the testimony of Rushdi Al-Zaza, who was arrested by the occupation forces along with his family a month ago from his home in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. He was released a few days ago, while the fate of his wife and two children remain unknown.

The Monitor stressed that the risk of the occupation forces committing the crime of kidnapping and disappearing children increases with the presence of more than 7,000 missing Palestinians, the difficulty of removing rubble and the inability of communications and the internet outage in most areas of the Strip.

The Monitor stressed that international law prohibits the commission of this crime, which is also considered a form of the crime of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The Monitor called on the international community to assume its responsibilities regarding the horrific crime of kidnapping children, which comes at a time when the occupation authorities continue the crime of forcibly disappearing hundreds of Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip in mysterious circumstances.

The Monitor also called on obliging Israel to hand over the child whom the Israeli officer admitted to kidnapping whose  fate or whereabouts are not yet known, and to reveal information regarding all cases of kidnapping and forcible transfer committed against Palestinian children in order to  hand them over to their families immediately.

Raghda Sawas